Chase Your Horizon
by Kitarin
Summary: A Sequel to Let Your Heart Be Light - When a surprising invitation is delivered, bringing Saito's Christmas letter to light, how will the future begin to spread out for Kotetsu & Barnaby?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** The anon meme requested that I continue from where **Let Your Heart Be Light** left off, which isn't hard, because I have so much more in my head that what's even in this story. ^^;; I appreciate all the commentary on the first story, especially the people who've found me in person at conventions to give me their thoughts~! I've had a lot of fun writing for Tiger & Bunny, and I thought it might be fun to post it here while it's in progress, because not everyone reads the meme. ...This one is really for all of _you_. You know who you are.

XOXOXOX  
>~K<p>

* * *

><p>The silver heart sparkles, catching the light as it dangles from the end of the delicate chain clutched tightly in Kaede's fist. She still can't believe that it belongs to her, that any of this Christmas was real… that it's soon to be a new year, with her new powers, with her new knowledge, and what has begun to feel like a new life…<p>

"How am I ever going to decide what pictures to put in this…?"

It's a momentous decision, not to be made lightly.

* * *

><p><em>o~ Maybe it's much too early in the game  
>Ooh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same<br>What are you doing New Year's  
>New Year's eve? ~o_

Kotetsu T. Kaburagi is having a lazy mid-afternoon doze while sprawled on the couch, sunlight streaming in from the window to warm his face, when a sharp knock on his front door rouses him. Cracking one eye open while trying to pretend he is still asleep does him no good though, as his partner-in-more-ways-than-one doesn't even bother to glance up from his reading before addressing him.

"It is _your_ house, Kotetsu," Barnaby Brooks, Jr. says smoothly, his lips quirking in amusement when the tiger growls a little before rolling off of the couch. "Perhaps _you_ should answer the door?"

"Cat naps can be interrupted, but reading can't, Bunny?" Kotetsu protests as he shuffles towards the front door, but he pauses to ruffle Barnaby's curls with one affectionate hand as he passes by the over-stuffed arm chair the blond is seated in, book in hand.

It's two days after Christmas, and the Kaburagi household is still in recovery-mode after an extremely busy holiday full of surprise visitors. The weather's been downright unpleasant, hovering on the freezing line, resulting in slush and mud… and so most of the daylight hours have been spent the way Kotetsu enjoys winter best – warm and by the fire, preferably with a good drink and a generous plate of leftovers. He is not at all tired of stuffing yet. Turkey, well, …maybe.

Kotetsu pulls the door open to reveal an energetic red-cheeked delivery boy, who immediately peers under Kotetsu's arm as he thrusts a clipboard at him to sign, barely glancing at the name. "You're… Kaburagi Toratetsu?"

"Kotetsu…" Kotetsu corrects, reaching to sign the paper for the delivery as he raises an eyebrow at the boy who now looks up at him, stars in eyes.

"Is it true that… I mean, is it also possible that… " he flusters, taking the clipboard back and flipping hastily to the next page. "_Barnaby Brooks, Jr._ is... is also here?" He utters Barnaby's name with such reverence that Kotetsu bites his lip to keep from cracking a smile.

Oh, this is definitely not the news Kotetsu wants getting out, however much smaller Oriental Town might be compared to Stern Bild. "Where did you hear that?" he inquires casually, shifting back and forth to try and keep the boy from seeing inside.

"I have a delivery for him as well, at this same address!"

It's too late, though, as Barnaby has already gotten up to come to the door upon hearing his name. "Delivery? Who would be sending me mail at your address, Kotetsu?"

If it is possible for the delivery boy to get any more flustered, he does – dropping the clipboard and staring raptly at Barnaby as he appears at Kotetsu's side. "It's true!" he squeaks.

"Why don't you go get the packages from the…?" Kotetsu gestures, bending to pick up the clipboard and hand it to Barnaby to sign. It's cold and wet out here, and the fireplace is calling his name.

"Only letters…. P-personal courier," the boy stammers with a sharp shake of his head, reaching into his shoulder bag to withdraw two large white envelopes. "Mr. Brooks, sir, it's an honor to meet you! I'm… I'm such a big fan!"

Despite the oddity of the situation, Barnaby is so used to his fans that he can't help but respond automatically, looking up from the clipboard with a smile and sparkling eyes, holding out a hand to shake. "Thank you, Adam," Barnaby smoothly pulls the boy's name off of his embroidered shirt pocket.

Kotetsu waits, all but forgotten, until Barnaby has signed another paper, this time an actual autograph, and then he shakes his head as he closes the door behind their delivery boy. "I don't know how you do it."

"Tolerate the fans?"

"Get so many star-crossed fanatics…"

"You're just jealous," Barnaby smirks a little, wandering back to the couch and sliding one finger carefully under the edge of the envelope to open it. It's always easy to rile his partner, especially on this topic. And even if things have changed a little between them lately, teasing Kotetsu is still something he can't help but enjoy.

"Hah, no M'not. " Kotetsu hmphs in denial, flopping down beside Barnaby on the couch, but it's not entirely true. It does…. _Bug _him, just a little… but it also seems a weird thing to say 'jealous' when neither of them are heroes anymore. _What is there to be jealous of? _"So who's sending us letters by personal courier…?"

"Who else…" Barnaby murmurs, pulling out the heavy gilded cardstock to read what turns out to be an invitation. He already has a very unsettled feeling about the possible contents.

Kotetsu doesn't bother to open his own, but only leans into Barnaby, looping an arm around his lower back and resting his chin on his partner's shoulder to read it with him. "Our presence is requested at a New Year's Eve gala? Wait, wait, wait… they want us to come back to Stern Bild?"

Barnaby's slender fingers trail lightly over the embossed lettering as he frowns and then nods. "It would appear that Hero TV is celebrating Lloyds' appointment as Apollon's new CEO and Agnes' promotion to OBC president with a gala event."

"We're not heroes anymore," Kotetsu scoffs immediately, straightening and snatching up his own letter, ripping the envelope in half to make sure his invitation is the same. It is, with the exception of a hand-written note from Agnes herself at the bottom.

_Don't simply wear the same old thing._

Kotetsu's ears tinge pink as he tosses the invitation down on the coffee table, where Barnaby picks it up, reads it, and then smirks at him again. _It's a little bit true._ "Are you saying you don't want to attend? It's an honor that we've been invited, after all, and if you'd taken the time to read the entire thing, you'd see that all of the heroes are being honored that night as well."

"Eh…" Kotetsu sighs, reaching with one hand to scratch at the back of his head as he argues with himself. "I know it'd look good for Hero TV if we were there, and it's not as if we're _incapable_ of attending. But… we don't work for them anymore! And I always hate those kinds of parties! At the same time, I bet all of the other heroes would want us to attend and I wouldn't want to disappoint them. But… ugh, fancy suits and ties? Don't simply wear the same old thing? Small talk with bigwigs? But then, the food is usually delicious…"

Barnaby listens to his partner argue both sides back and forth before cutting him off impatiently. He is not an idiot – it's been obvious that Kotetsu is restless and misses the city, even if he refuses to talk about it. That fact frustrates Barnaby and he snaps a little when he tries to interrupt. "Kotetsu, are you so busy arguing with yourself that you don't care what I think?"

"… and going back to Stern Bild, this soon? It's been such a nice holiday, a good rest, and… back on Hero TV, wouldn't it feel weird? Heh, it's like we can't really escape ever, can we?"

"Old man!"

"…Bunny?" Kotetsu mutters sheepishly, finally stopping in his ramble. Truthfully, the idea of going "home" when he's already "home" is rather unsettling and exactly what he wants to avoid – being reminded of everything he's chosen to give up. Been forced to give up. At the same time, he still has the most important thing – his partner – and he knows without even thinking about it that if Bunny wants to go, he'll go too, no matter the feelings it churns up.

Barnaby frowns and reaches to touch the back of Kotetsu's hand lightly where it rests on his knee, trying to choose his words carefully. There is no way he can go back to Stern Bild and not respond to the letter he hasn't told Kotetsu about yet, the one he'd been debating over simply ignoring for awhile longer. At the same time, blowing off an event that is at least partially in their honor seems a very unheroic thing to do, contract or not. _Even if going back to Stern Bild right now might not be the best thing for either of us?_ "If you really don't want to attend…"

"You have to go!" A third voice interrupts the argument and both men turn to look at Kaede, where she stands in the doorway to the living room with a large puzzle box tucked under her arm, her eyes wide with excitement. "Those are invitations to the gala, right?"

"How do you know about this already?" Kotetsu protests, pouting when Kaede rolls her eyes at him and dumps the puzzle in his lap to reprimand him.

"They've been talking about it on Hero TV for the last two days!" Kaede crosses her arms over her chest and looks from her father to Barnaby, who only remains poker-faced. "Sheesh, are you telling me you haven't turned it on even once since Christmas?"

The two partners glance at each other side-long, then shrug simultaneously, and Kaede sighs in over-exaggerated exasperation, slapping a hand to her forehead.

They _haven't_ actually bothered to watch it in the last two days, but neither have they talked about _why_ they haven't. They haven't talked about much at all, beyond the visit from their friends or the terrible state of the weather.

"Wow…umm…" Kaede isn't sure what to say to that, so she simply reaches for the remote and turns the TV on.

"…they're already billing us as returning guest stars?" Barnaby frowns as the screen comes to life on an advertisement for the live footage of the gala. Somehow he's already certain that there isn't any getting out of this, any of it.

"Agnes is already acting like we said yes!" Kotetsu complains, but it's half-hearted, as a slow grin spreads across his face. Seeing all the familiar faces reminds him of their Christmas visit, and maybe it wouldn't be _that_ terrible just to attend some dumb party to see the other heroes for a night…

"Uh… more like special guests or something," Kaede answers, but when she turns to look at her father, she's surprised to find him riveted to the screen. She'd immediately thought of them as heroes upon seeing the coverage - and how exciting it would be to see them attend the grand event. But now, the intensity of the look in Kotetsu's eyes reminds her suddenly that this is also her father… and she only just got him back. _What if this leads to him changing his mind?_ "It's only for a day or two, right?" she suddenly backpedals with a forced smile. "…Right?"

Barnaby doesn't miss the sudden change in Kaede's tone and he elbows Kotetsu out of his daze as he answers her, neutral. "If we even decide to attend."

"We'd be disappointing the viewers now too, though…" Kotetsu starts wistfully, surprised when Kaede cuts him off, further surprised at Barnaby's sudden elbow. _Did I miss something?_

"It's pretty important, so you should probably go…" Kaede says with authority, leaning forward to poke her father in the shoulder. "But you have to promise to come right back." There's a heartbeat of silence, but before Kotetsu can answer her back, she turns to Barnaby and pokes him in the shoulder with her other hand. "And you too, Barnaby."

"Of course, sweetie," Kotetsu promises immediately, opening his arms to try and draw her into a hug. The last thing he wants to do is make her unhappy again, and his own feelings don't matter to that end. "And if you really don't want Papa to go to some big dumb party…"

"Oh nonono," Kaede laughs, soothed by the gesture even as she tries to avoid the hug. "I am _not_ going to be your excuse!"

Barnaby can't help but feel a touch awkward at Kaede's demand for a promise, but he is unable to find a good enough excuse to present to her. The fact is that he knows there's a lot waiting for him back in Stern Bild, but he doesn't want to talk about any of it… especially not now, not in front of her, before he's had a chance to discuss it with Kotetsu alone. "We'll book return tickets before we depart, if you prefer," he finally settles on, reaching to adjust his glasses as he glances away from his partner.

"Okay!" Kaede grins cheerfully, feeling reassured, and then she picks up Kotetsu's invitation and reads the note at the bottom. ".god," she snickers, waving it at Kotetsu. "Did Agnes write that?"

"I don't _have_ anything else to wear," Kotetsu continues to protest, mostly to get a rise out of Kaede. "And I sold the apartment, so I don't even have a place to stay!"

"You'll stay with me," Barnaby gives him a raised eyebrow look that says he's being ridiculous and then pulls his cell phone out to book their tickets. He listens to Kaede tease her father about being uncool, especially in style, especially compared to Barnaby, and before long their plans are confirmed. "We'll be returning on the 2nd of January," he turns the phone around to show her. "Sufficient?"

"I'll take that as a promise," Kaede smiles and nods, then points to the coffee table where she's dumped out all of the pieces to the puzzle she's carried in. "Wanna help us? Hey, maybe sometime this summer, we'll all go to the beach. Wouldn't that be great?"

Kotetsu smiles at Barnaby over Kaede's head as he sorts the puzzle pieces for edges, but says nothing, which is nearly a dead giveaway to Barnaby that something is weighing on his partner's mind. _Maybe if I talk, he'll talk too. _"… I suppose it would be… relaxing."

The afternoon dissolves into the work of the tiny-pieced puzzle, a fantastic and colorful underwater seascape of fish and coral that inspired the beach sentiment, and Barnaby finds that his thoughts drift like the ocean currents while they all work in silence on a different corner, each heading towards the middle.

It isn't until after dinner, after Kaede's gone to bed and the house is quiet, that Barnaby finally finds himself alone with Kotetsu again. They are departing at midday tomorrow, and if he doesn't tell Kotetsu about the letter now, then… he doesn't think he'll even be able to sleep tonight.

_It isn't as if I meant to hide it…_ Truthfully, he'd been so surprised by it, in the midst of everything else that had happened on Christmas, that he'd subconsciously decided to ignore it for a while. A long while. _I still could…_

Kotetsu is lost in thoughts of his own as he prods at the fireplace, adding another log and shifting it around until it catches. Sitting with his legs folded up under him, he watches the flames as they dance, picking up and turning the bag of marshmallows over and over in his hands. It's late and he should be tired, but instead, he feels restless, too awake, too jumbled.

"Kotetsu…" Barnaby stands just two paces behind him, a bottle of rose wine in one hand and two glasses crooked between two fingers of the other. "Can I… talk to you about something?"

"Always," Kotetsu says immediately, turning and climbing to his feet, a warm smile on his face. Dropping the bag of marshmallows on the coffee table, he sits down beside, but facing, his partner on the couch as Barnaby pours them each a glass of wine. "What's on your mind, Bunny?"

Barnaby hands Kotetsu a glass and takes a sip of his own, trying to find a way to make this sound better than he knows it will. "I… received a letter from Saito."

"In the invitation?" Kotetsu asks in confusion, his head tilting as he waits for Barnaby to continue.

"No, actually…" Barnaby looks down into his glass, then up again. "It was in the box with my call bracelet." It's impossible for Barnaby to miss the hurt that flashes immediately across his partner's face and then disappears, but Kotetsu says nothing, still waiting for his explanation. "I… I wasn't planning on responding to it right now, but with the sudden change in plans…"

Kotetsu _is_ a little hurt that it took Barnaby two days to tell him about this, but his partner is telling him now, and he's not so proud that he doesn't recognize their progress. At least they are learning to confide in each other more openly than before, in hopes of preventing anything like the disaster they've already lived through. "What did it say?" he keeps his tone light, but tips the glass back, draining half of it in a somewhat-undignified gulp.

Barnaby hates the fact that he's once again inadvertently hurt his partner, who has once again said nothing about it, but he can only assume that sharing the truth will mend the worst of it. "Not very much at all, actually… just that he had some further information as a result of the safety on the robotics being engaged… and wished to share it with me at some point, in person."

"Sounds pretty classified," Kotetsu nods, waiting to see if there's more to the reveal. When Barnaby only swirls his wine around and looks uncomfortable, Kotetsu prods a little more. "Any idea what he's talking about?"

"Not really…" Barnaby sighs, the weight of everything he's been through in the last month, year, _life_ creeping in to overtake him again. "And I… I really didn't want to deal with it right now – the robotics, suit designs, Apollon, my parents' stolen research… Maverick… but if we're going to be in Stern Bild, it seems unbelievably rude not to pay Saito a visit and at least find out what he's talking about."

"Sounds good to me." Kotetsu knocks back the rest of his wine, setting the glass down on the table and reaching for Barnaby's free hand, squeezing it lightly. He wants to think that everything that's happened in the last week has been to the benefit of both of them, but whenever Barnaby gets this haunted look in his eyes, Kotetsu can't help but second-guess. _Is there something else I should be doing for him? _"You know, if you want to talk about anything…"

It's aggravating to hear Kotetsu offer to listen when Barnaby doesn't really want to talk, but would rather know what's going through his partner's head right now. He squeezes back anyway, leaving their fingers intertwined as he takes another sip of wine. "I know…" For better, for worse, Kotetsu is his most important person, his point of balance, and the one thing he is certain belongs to him, his own heart… his own memories. He only wants to do as much for him as the old man has already done in return, but he makes it so… _difficult._

There's a long moment of silence and then, as their eyes meet…

"We could just stay here."

"We don't have to go."

Kotetsu is the first of the two to crack a smile at their similarity, and heedless of the glass of wine still in Barnaby's hand, he immediately wraps his partner up in a hug, pulling him closer and mumbling into his curls with relief. "You know I love you, ne?"

"Kotetsu!" Barnaby protests, quickly sipping the last of his glass before it ends up spilled across them both. Setting the empty glass down on the table, he wraps his arms around Kotetsu in return, hugging him back and letting his chin come to rest on the older man's shoulder. "… you should know that I love you too. And I mean it… we don't have to go. I imagine it brings up a lot you'd rather not think about too."

After all, they've been happy here for the last week in this quiet life together with Kotetsu's family, so peaceful that it's been easy to just shove other thoughts and concerns away and simply appreciate the moment of bliss they'd been granted. Why should it have to end?

"We could stay here…" Kotetsu echoes himself again, but doesn't let go of his partner.

"But you and I both know that we're going to end up going."

"Heh…yeah…" Kotetsu chuckles softly and nods, lifting a hand from Barnaby's back to play with one of his curls. He rather likes the fact that he can get away with it far more often than he used to be allowed. "But hey, at least we're going together."

Batting Kotetsu's hands away from his hair after a minute, Barnaby nods, withdrawing to pour them some more wine. It seems that Kotetsu doesn't want to talk anymore than he does, so they might as well continue engaging in one of their favorite mutual pastimes. "It's only for a few days, but… Kotetsu… if… if I decided…"

Kotetsu waves a hand dismissively, then grabs up his forgotten bag of marshmallows, rising to get a stick from beside the fire for roasting. Right now, he doesn't want to hear about how his partner might decide to go back to the hero business without him, or stay in Stern Bild or… or do anything besides be at his side. "Forget the ifs for awhile, Bunny… whatever comes up, we'll deal with it together, won't we?"

Barnaby relaxes a little at that statement, the tension sliding out of his shoulders, and he gets up from the couch, leaving the glasses behind to sit beside Kotetsu on the fluffy rug. The fire is warm, chasing away the damp and uncertainty with its light, much the way Kotetsu always seems to chase Barnaby's worries away. "Yes… together."

"Want a marshmallow?" Kotetsu grins as he sticks two at once onto his stick, his age falling away with the twinkle in his eyes, the gold in them standing out in the firelight.

"You can eat mine for me," Barnaby declines generously, smiling, and he doesn't complain when Kotetsu draws him closer, looping an arm around Barnaby's shoulders in his usual affectionate way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** Thanks everyone for the reviews & faves. I really appreciate it! There's a lot more to come - don't quote me on it, but it may end up being as long as LYHBL.

* * *

><p>To Kotetsu, there is no place else quite like the great and grand city of Stern Bild. During his time residing there, he's come to know that the natives, or those who eventually consider themselves natives, like himself, refer to it often as "The City" and that no other place is <em>ever<em> allotted that distinction.

It's a clear night as their train barrels towards the glowing mecca rising up, gold and glittery, in the distance, and Kotetsu feels the same secret little thrill tickle him inside, just as he had the first time he'd taken this ride with Tomoe and Antonio at his side. He's certain he'll never get over his awe and love of this place, no matter its problems… and it has its problems.

Still, he'd simply rather choose to focus on all the good and beautiful things the city has to offer, and he's nearly vibrating in his seat by the time the view disappears as they descend into the tunnel under the water around the island. He's spent a good part of his life defending, protecting, and cleaning up this city, and for a moment, he feels an ache that he can't do that anymore.

Kotetsu knows that after Maverick's stunts, his identity is a little less secret than it used to be, but he still makes to don his little black domino mask as the train pulls into the station. Maybe it's habit, but…

"No," Barnaby stops him, reaching to pluck it from his hands with a sharp shake of his curls. "Absolutely not."

"But Bunny…" Kotetsu protests in confusion, trying to reach across his partner to grab it back. "You can't just – I need to - "

"Apollon has a car waiting for us, and they've kept our arrival very quiet," Barnaby holds the mask just out of reach with a look of exasperation. "You'll only draw more attention to us wandering around in a very famous mask."

Kotetsu can't decide whether to be tickled over the fact that Barnaby thinks his mask is "famous" or annoyed that he's being summarily denied. "Bunnyyy," he whines just a little, pouting. "How can I possibly draw more attention than _you_ already do?"

Tucking the little black mask into one of the pockets of his leather jacket, Barnaby frowns, his cheeks coloring a little as he reaches into his shoulder bag and pulls out… a surprisingly stylish black fedora.

"What… is… _that_?" Kotetsu snickers, giving a tug of his own hat. "Am I finally rubbing off on you, _aibou_?"

Rolling his eyes, Barnaby sets the fedora gently on his head and begins carefully tucking his blond curls up underneath it. "Not in the slightest," he grouses, lifting up his cell phone to use the reflection as a mirror. "I simply don't wish to be mobbed before we even get home."

"Avoiding the fangirls for once?" Kotetsu gives his partner a look of mock surprise as he sadly watches the curls disappear. He's in a decidedly good mood, though, despite their playful fighting over his mask.

Satisfied with his work, Barnaby pockets the phone as people begin to retrieve their bags and file off the train. Reaching into his bag one more time, he pulls out a pair of designer sunglasses, the sides etched in gold swirls, and exchanges them for his usual glasses.

Now Kotetsu does laugh, but only once, because Barnaby elbows him sharply in the side with a trademark glare to shut him up. "It's nighttime, Bunny!" he points out wryly.

"Do. Not. Draw. _attention_ to us, Kotetsu," Barnaby warns softly as he stands up, reaching to retrieve his bag from the overhead. Turning to stare down at his partner, he implores. "_Please_."

"Or what?" Kotetsu grins, still ridiculously amused by his partner's disguise, even if a tad insulted to think he probably doesn't need one himself. With one hand on his hip and his bright eyes hidden behind the dark shades, Barnaby looks more like a mobster than a hero. _Perhaps that's the point?_

Leaning down until he can whisper in his partner's ear, Barnaby hisses softly. "Or I won't make you fried rice when we get home."

It takes Kotetsu a moment to register that Barnaby is messing with him and enticing him all in the same statement, which he _thinks_ is sincere despite its icy delivery… but by that time, Barnaby is already gone. _Clever and effective bribe, little Bunny – you know me well…._ Grabbing his own bag from the overhead, Kotetsu follows his partner off the train and up several sets of escalators without incident. They're actually in sight of the car when someone finally notices them, and it isn't at all how he expected it might happen.

"Hey! Hey, is that Wild Tiger?" a sweet high-pitched teen voice calls as they pass by a group of students hanging outside a hot dog cart that smells particularly delicious.

"Yo, Kaburagi!" one of the boys greets him, and Kotetsu stops cold, his eyes going wide.

"D-did you j-just call me…" Kotetsu stammers in surprise, but Barnaby has already grabbed him by the elbow to literally drag him the last few steps to the car.

"And Barnaby Brooks, Jr!" the first girl adds with a squeal as she connects the dots, chasing after them and pulling out her cellphone as other bystanders begin to buzz with their names, but it's thankfully too late.

Barnaby shoves Kotetsu roughly into the back of the black town car and climbs in after him. He's half on top of Kotetsu in his haste, yanking the door closed behind them, and leaving the driver to deal with their luggage, which he does in a hurry.

Kotetsu braces one arm against the seat and grabs his partner around the middle with the other to keep them both from crashing onto the floor as the car jerks sharply forward. The motion knocks the hat from Barnaby's head, his curls tumbling down, and as the too-large glasses slide down his nose to reveal those green eyes again, Kotetsu looks up at him and asks with a breathless laugh of surprise. "Did that _really_ just happen?"

"What," Barnaby starts in ruffled annoyance, letting one leg drop to the floor to brace himself better in attempt to shift to an upright position. _This is almost as bad as that time at the skating rink with Kaede… _"That someone recognized us? I told you not to do anything that might…"

"Bunny, didn't you hear what they called me?" Kotetsu makes no effort to change their positions at all and instead he reaches up to pluck the sunglasses off the end of Barnaby's nose, chucking them carelessly onto the floor. "Some random little punk I've never seen in my life called me by _name_."

When Kotetsu's fingers graze lightly against his cheek, Barnaby flushes a little, so distracted he has trouble answering the question. "Ah, well… Kotetsu… think about… about what happened." They've shared plenty a casual embrace in the past few days, but this is the first time they've been in such a… _compromising_ position since Christmas… And now Barnaby flushes again, as his mind fills with memories of images and sounds that he _really_ doesn't want to be thinking about at this precise moment.

"Eh?" Kotetsu blinks, tilting his head back until he can watch the blur of lights and signs whizzing by outside the window, upside-down. "You mean… the fight, the robot? I don't even know how much Agnes aired."

"No, I mean…" Barnaby squeezes his eyes closed for a moment as Kotetsu shifts underneath him, trying to help right them with very little success since he now isn't getting much help on the other end. "I mean when they aired footage of you as a criminal to everyone in this city," he manages to get an entire sentence out and then finally gives up, placing one hand square on his partner's chest to push up and away. "Agnes had to recant that entire broadcast after the fact, and you were unmasked during the filming where you almost…"

The pieces finally click into place for Kotetsu just as he also realizes how flushed and uncomfortable Barnaby has become. Letting go of where he's braced his arm against the seat, he instead moves his hand to Barnaby's hip, his lips quirking a little. It's always cute when Barnaby gets flustered, and Kotetsu suddenly remembers that he's _allowed_ to take advantage of such moments now, instead of wallowing in his own denied want for his partner. _So many changes in such little time._ "I guess… my secret identity isn't so secret anymore…?"

"Not so much," Barnaby huffs, trying to shift and finding it difficult with the way his other leg is still tangled between his partner's, and Kotetsu's other hand is now in his hair, pulling him down again and closing the gap between them. "Kotetsu!"

The protest is cut off with a muffled "mph" as Kotetsu closes his lips over Barnaby's, kissing him once, twice, then dragging Barnaby's upper lip in between his own two to suck at it gently.

"Ko-kotetsu… not here…" Barnaby murmurs against the repeated kisses, but his partner isn't taking no for an answer.

"Come on, Bunny, no one can see us…" Kotetsu laughs softly, kisses him again before teasing. "Tell me you _don't_ want a kiss and I'll stop."

"I…" But that would be a complete lie, and Barnaby is done with lies, so he relents and stops resisting, leaning into Kotetsu's touch. It's far too easy to melt down into that kiss, his tongue rolling slowly against his partner's, and Barnaby lets himself get a little lost in it until he finally feels the car coming to a stop.

"Guess time's up," Kotetsu whispers against Barnaby's lips when his partner breaks their kiss, twirling one blond curl around a finger regretfully.

Once Barnaby has Kotetsu's actual cooperation, the two are upright and vaguely presentable before the driver opens their door, and thankfully, there are neither fans nor paparazzi outside the entrance to Barnaby's apartment building. Barnaby pauses to replace his proper glasses and thank the driver, and they are left alone in The City.

Grabbing their bags from the trunk, Kotetsu follows Barnaby inside the building, amused when every employee greets them warmly and welcomes them home on their way to the elevator. The lobby is still decorated for Christmas, with a tree that must be 12 feet tall, all done up in red bows, golden glass and tiny white lights.

Kotetsu eyes Barnaby as they ascend to an obscenely numbered floor, but one quick glance from his partner towards the security camera and he restrains himself to only a wink. Barnaby rolls his eyes in response, but he's smiling.

The door unlocks as smoothly as he remembers, and Barnaby pushes it open, stepping inside, not knowing what to expect, how to feel about returning home. As the lights come up on a dim evening setting, he looks around the large, bare space… the enormous window, the single chair, the wall screen… and feels suddenly _cold_. After all of the heroes crammed into Kotetsu's house – the warmth, the light, the food, the noise… _This place has never seemed so barren. Is this really the way I've been living all this time?_

"You ok, Bunny?" Kotetsu asks as he kicks his shoes off, one so hard it hits the wall with a resounding thwack. When his partner doesn't even bother to scold him about it, Kotetsu knows that something isn't right. Crossing the three steps between them, he takes in Barnaby's unfocused gaze and decides to try again, his hand coming down lightly on his partner's shoulder, his voice a little more concerned. "Bunny?"

"It seems so… empty…" Barnaby says softly, as if he feels confused by it, but when Kotetsu touches him, he seems to snap out of it.

"You don't like it that way anymore?" Kotetsu teases gently, following Barnaby further into the room once his partner has taken off his boots and lined them neatly by the door. Sometimes Kotetsu thinks he has only begun to see the real depths of Barnaby's personality, unfettered by Maverick and the weight of revenge, but it doesn't matter – he already knows that he loves all of Barnaby, the best and worst parts of him, and even the pieces he has yet to discover.

"I don't know…" Barnaby stops in the center of the room, turning in a slow circle until he's looking away from Kotetsu and out at the view. There are many memories, echoes of himself, in this space, too many of them dark and lonely and despairing. The juxtaposition to now is jarring, and he's quietly grateful that Kotetsu is with him.

"Heh, well, I kind of got used to it like this," Kotetsu loosens his tie and undoes the top button of his green shirt, coming to stand beside Barnaby where he's now paused by the window. "But it might not be a terrible thing if you bought a couch someday."

It's a strange conversation to be having when Barnaby has a ticket back to Oriental Town in a few days, the same as Kotetsu - as if for a moment, they're both pretending they've come back here for good instead. He finds that he doesn't entirely mind, and lets the speculation continue. "Black or white?"

"Couch?"

"Yes, leather," Barnaby says, as if that explains everything, and the conversation is interrupted by the sudden chirp of his call bracelet.

Kotetsu is surprised by the sudden pang in his heart at the familiar sound he hasn't heard in more than a week, and bites his lip as Barnaby answers the call, transferring it to the wall screen. _I miss that sound._

"Bonjour, hero."

"Good evening, Agnes," Barnaby smiles politely and Kotetsu gives a wave, not much surprised that she's got close tabs on them.

"Welcome back to Stern Bild. I won't keep you long, but I'm sending over your schedules now. Confirm that you've received the file."

"Schedules?" Kotetsu protests loudly, waving both hands at her now, and not as happily. "What do you mean, schedules?"

"Don't worry, Tiger," Agnes smiles a little. "You'll be well-compensated for your time."

"Received the file," Barnaby confirms, leaning over his laptop and tapping a button.

"Don't be late for your appointment tomorrow morning. Wardrobe's on the company dime and I don't want it wasted."

"Understood."

The screen blinks out before Kotetsu can even voice another complaint or protest, and so he only sighs. "No, don't open that file right now. I don't want to know. I don't want to think about it. How about some fried rice?"

Barnaby is not exactly thrilled about the schedules either, and he did sort of nominally promise his partner dinner. He won't say so, but he knows it wasn't Kotetsu's fault that he was recognized. "Why don't you turn on Hero TV while I call the concierge and ask them to deliver a few items?"

"I'll wash and set the rice first," Kotetsu answers with a smile, the tension relaxing from his shoulders, and he turns to go do so. After all, he's spent enough nights over here cooking it himself that he already knows where everything in Barnaby's kitchen is.

Once Barnaby is off the intercom, they trade places, and Kotetsu turns the wall screen to Hero TV, narrating loudly to Barnaby where he cuts onions, mushrooms and carrots in the kitchen.

"Ooo, Fire Emblem just fried the getaway car! And Origami got the bystanders safely out of the way!"

When Barnaby finally returns from the kitchen with a steaming bowl in each hand, he finds that Kotetsu has once again made himself perfectly comfortable on the only chair in the room. The tie is hanging undone, the vest is slung crookedly over the back of the chair and there are now three buttons open on the green shirt. More importantly, the TV is now muted, and he's talking to Kaede on his cellphone. It's easy to tell because there's a dopey grin in place on his face that seems especially reserved for his daughter.

"Eh? What? No, I'm watching it right now, Kaede!" Barnaby sets both bowls down on the small table beside his chair, and Kotetsu pulls his long legs up Indian style, patting the spot in front of him. "Thanks, Bunny. Kaede's on the phone."

"I know that," Barnaby's lips quirk into a small smile as he heads back to the kitchen to grab a bottle of his favorite wine and two glasses, oddly comforted by the sound of his partner's daughter on the phone. For a moment, it's not that different than being in Oriental Town, especially once he hears the next demand echoing through the phone.

"Put me on speaker! I want to say hello to Barnaby!"

It's surreal and wonderful all at the same time, and Kotetsu feels bittersweet. There's definitely a part of him that wishes this _could_ be life right now, the hero business plus all he's gained… but the smiles on the faces of the two people conversing beside him… he wouldn't trade that for anything. It wasn't the outcome he'd been expecting at all, back when his powers first started fading… but he can just about admit to himself now that it's all he could have hoped for and more.

The facts remain that Kaede wants him at home, his powers are fading and he's a danger to his partner, and… his partner wants out of the business anyway. There's no reason at all to be second-guessing this decision anymore, and therefore no reason not to just enjoy the shit out the time he has here in the city with his Bunny.

He's lucky.

_Lucky._

So why does it still feel so painful?

"Miss you both already, but have fun at the gala, okay? Dad? Daaaaddd, are you even listening to me? Kick him, Bunny, please!"

Kaede's glare is larger than life on the screen and Kotetsu ducks a little as he snaps to attention, apologizing. "We will, we will! Call anytime you miss me, okay?"

"I miss Barnaby more than you," Kaede retorts, blowing her hair out of her face as she rolls her eyes, the hand not holding the phone fiddling with the locket around her neck. "At least he listens to me when I talk!"

Kotetsu apologizes again, even if he can tell a little that Kaede is just teasing him in her own way. Maybe it means he's gotten to know her a little better, that he can tell that subtlety in her expression. Maybe it means he's not screwing everything up anymore…

_o/~ Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood  
>Miss "no way, it's all good", It didn't slow me down<br>Mistaken, Always second guessing  
>Underestimated, look, I'm still around<br>It's enough, I've done all I can think of  
>Chased down all my demons,<br>I've seen you do the same ~/o_

"What's bothering you, Kotetsu?" Barnaby asks pointedly after the call has disconnected, restoring the now-muted Hero TV to the wall screen, where Blue Rose and Sky High have made the arrests and are handing over the criminals to the police. Kotetsu has been staring absently out the window for a full five minutes, oblivious to everything, even his untouched dinner. Uncorking the wine, Barnaby pours them each a glass before turning away from the screen to look at his partner, one leg tucked up and the other braced against the floor. "And don't tell me it's nothing."

"Ah, just thinking back on… lots of things…" Kotetsu says with a dismissive wave of one hand before accepting a glass.

"That's vague," Barnaby frowns and pulls his glass away when Kotetsu moves to clink them together. There's a tension in the air now that Kaede's presence is gone, but he can't quite put his finger on why.

Kotetsu reaches out with one hand to grab the wrist that isn't holding a wine glass, giving his partner an easy smile. "Just lost in thought, but it's really nothing to worry about, okay?"

Barnaby swirls the wine around in his glass and takes a sip before he says, frustration leaking into his tone. "You can share your thoughts with me."

Twice now, Kotetsu has tried to brush Barnaby's queries off, but he can't stand to see the pained distance growing in his partner's expression. Taking a sip of his own wine, he averts his eyes, letting go of Barnaby's wrist to focus on the glow of the buildings outside. "How can I be here in this place with you and not think about the last year? …Haven't you been thinking of it as well?"

Kotetsu is absolutely right, of course, even if he's deflecting again. Barnaby has been thinking all night about their past – about the many times they'd spent talking in this room, about the many times Kotetsu had made fried rice for him, about the very first time he made it, on the night they'd had a drinking contest during their adventures in babysitting. But now, it's as if those black and white memories are turned to color with the knowledge of the feelings that had long been brewing between them. Suddenly, every memory is a shade of _different_. "If only I knew then what I know now…" Barnaby frowns a little, finishes his glass faster than Kotetsu and moves to pour another. "All of the… confusion… that could have been prevented…"

It isn't as if Kotetsu hasn't played the What If game with himself about his relationship with his partner, but what's done is done. The past can't be changed, and either way… "But it's all brought us to where we are now, right?" Kotetsu finishes his glass and sets it down, debating on whether the thought needs further explanation. _The beating of a butterfly's wings… change one thing, change everything. _Kotetsu's thoughts whirl, but it's old habit to keep most of it to himself, and he finally settles on… "I can't help but believe that… that everything happens for a reason, Bunny."

"My name's not Bunny," Barnaby retorts suddenly after the long silence it's taken his partner to _not_ share his thoughts again, which takes Kotetsu a bit by surprise. It's feisty and emotional, and he doesn't even know why he says it – he doesn't mind the nickname anymore, in fact, it's more a term of endearment than anything else. Tossing back the end of his 2nd glass, Barnaby sets the empty crystal down on the table with a faint clink. The way they keep talking about the past, the way everything feels like an echo…

The old memories linger for Kotetsu too, and he hesitates for only a moment before lifting both of his hands to fan beside his face, a slow smile rising on his lips. _We can't rewrite the past…_ But it isn't as if they can't _re-visit_ it a little. "Fluffy Bunny."

"It's _Barnaby_." The words are barely out of his mouth before Barnaby is moving, climbing into Kotetsu's lap as he'd done once before, on a not too dissimilar night. This time, though, Kotetsu is ready for it, and he opens his arms to allow his partner closer until Barnaby is straddling him, a knee on either side of Kotetsu's hips.

"I really hope this ends differently than last year," Kotetsu can't help but joke as he looks up at Barnaby, his hands sliding slowly up his partner's thighs to rest in the crook of his hips, fingers playing with one gold metal grommet on his belt.

"You don't know how strongly I felt about you, even back on that night," Barnaby says with a firm shake of his head. "Even if I didn't really understand it at the time…if you hadn't stopped us…"

"I was…. not sure you were in your right mind," Kotetsu makes half-true excuses to cut Barnaby off, though he can feel his pulse picking up its pace in response to the suggestion. _If I hadn't stopped us that night…_ He's not sure how Barnaby always does this to him, but there's something intense about the way his partner is looking down at him that makes Kotetsu's face feel hot, and he averts his eyes again. "Heh, sometimes I _still_ wonder that…."

The joke is almost inappropriate given everything that's happened, but Barnaby knows Kotetsu well enough to realize that it's being made not at Barnaby's expense - _not_ because of Maverick's machinations, but… because of Kotetsu's own self-doubt. It hurts a little, to see him second-guess what they share… and Barnaby knows he's just making an assumption based on a vague statement, but he'd like to believe that he's gotten better at reading Kotetsu's between-the-lines feelings. "I want to show you something, please…"

Kotetsu's eyes follow Barnaby's hand as it glides across the tabletop and to the small, nearly-hidden drawer underneath where he keeps some very special things. Not knowing at all what to expect, his eyebrows shoot up in surprise when his partner pulls out a very familiar piece of cloth.

A very familiar piece of _burnt_ cloth.

"I'm not an idiot – I know you took that hit only to protect me," Barnaby intones softly, letting the piece of the "LET'S BELIEVE HEROES" sash flutter down between them. "It was… a wake-up moment, for me, Kotetsu, to… to the idea that someone cared about me, truly. And, in turn, it's… how long I've cared for you in return."

"You never _said_ anything," Kotetsu rasps, touched, letting go of Barnaby's hip to run one finger along the tattered edge of the sash before picking it up and tucking it carefully back into the drawer. He thinks back on all of the arguments, all of the eye rolls and lectures and cold shoulders and brush-offs… _and all of that time, Bunny was keeping that scrap…_

"Neither did you." Barnaby waits until Kotetsu's golden eyes flicker back to meet his gaze and then he leans down, kissing his partner with every bit of pent-up emotion he'd shoved away so brutally on that night, all of the fire in his blood that he'd stomped down on with any excuse he could find. _No more._

Kotetsu doesn't stop them this time, doesn't push Barnaby away at all. Instead, he lifts one hand to curl around the back of his partner's neck as he returns the kiss, the other hand sliding around to rest light fingertips against the warm skin at the small of Barnaby's back, where his t-shirt has come untucked from his pants.

Barnaby's nimble fingers quickly undo the remaining buttons on Kotetsu's shirt as they continue to kiss, pushing it aside just enough that he can drag his fingers over a nipple, pleased with the faint growl he gets from his partner in response. In a way, he's glad it didn't happen this way the first time – there's no way he would have… _appreciated_ it then the way he does now. They know each other so much more intimately than they did a year ago, trust each other so much more.

If Barnaby's not going to play nice, then Kotetsu isn't either, and he lets his hand slide up the blond's bare back, holding him in their kiss and plundering his Bunny's soft lips even when he feels Barnaby trying to break away. The glasses _are_ in the way, though, and Kotetsu finally pulls back from the kiss himself to reach up and pluck them off of his partner's face, setting them carefully down on the table beside the empty wine goblets.

Blinking a few times until his eyes re-focus, Barnaby stares at Kotetsu and Kotetsu stares back, but neither of them says a word, letting gazes and gestures speak their hearts instead.

It's the last moment of space they give each other, as their hands go to each other's belts simultaneously, tugging as they crash their mouths together again, the kiss messy this time because they are both in motion. With the slightly better angle, Kotetsu wins this round, yanking the white belt out of its loops completely and chucking it to the floor. He palms Barnaby's erection through the fabric of his pants and his partner grinds their hips together in response, trapping both of their hands with the friction.

Barnaby finally gets Kotetsu's belt unlatched at about the point that Kotetsu thumbs open the button on his pants. It's clear at this point that Kotetsu enjoys being nominally in control, one step ahead of his partner, but Barnaby fights him for it all the way, just as they've spent much of their partnership bickering through their friendship, but with Barnaby one step ahead instead. Breaking their kiss, he instead trails a hot and distracting tongue up the side of Kotetsu's neck to the sweet spot behind his Tiger's ear, humming with pleasure when he feels his partner's hand stall.

"Bunny…" Kotetsu whispers, following with a choked gasp as his partner's hand curls around his length, pulling it free and thumbing the slit at the head. Fumbling a little, he slides the zipper of Barnaby's pants down and forces his hand into the tight fabric to do the same.

"Kotetssss…" Barnaby moans against his partner's neck, his hips jerking forward when Kotetsu strokes him several times, hard and fast. Truthfully, he's been half-hard since the incident in the car earlier, so much so that it feels almost painful now, and it's not going to take much to send him over the edge.

With his free hand, Kotetsu turns Barnaby's face towards his own again, catching his lips in a kiss that quickly becomes another chance to devour each other. Knuckles graze as they stroke in the same rhythm until they both finally give in, curling their fingers together and caring not for the mess they're making of all of their clothes in the impulsive display of passion.

Barnaby comes first, collapsing against Kotetsu with a strangled sound, spilling over their joined hands with a sharp jerk of his hips, and making it difficult to continue. It doesn't matter, though, because it's the whispery sound of his own name in Barnaby's voice, in his ear, over and over and over, that sends Kotetsu spiraling over the edge as well.

For a long moment, there's nothing but the sound of their ragged and uneven breathing, and Kotetsu winds his free arm around Barnaby's shoulders, content to just lay there together for awhile.

"So… this isn't going to be a one time thing?" Barnaby finally asks, his head still pillowed in the crook between Kotetsu's neck and shoulder.

"Bunny!" Kotetsu's hands, despite their sticky, grip Barnaby's shoulders and push him up until they are eye to eye again. "Why… why would you think that?" His eyes widen in comical surprise, followed immediately by the perfect wounded pout.

Barnaby smiles at Kotetsu's typical exaggerated facial expressions and then shrugs. "I had… wondered, after Christmas… if you'd only taken pity on me that night due to-"

Kotetsu doesn't bother to wait for Barnaby to finish, but cuts him off with another kiss, this one nothing but sweetness, lips dragging slowly and lingeringly against his partner's. "No. Bunny, don't ever think that… our partnership…" _It means more to me than I know how to express._

Watching his partner struggle with his words, Barnaby brings one finger to his lips to spare him, then drags it over the familiar beard and down Kotetsu's bare chest, smiling again. "Let's not ever hide our feelings again, like we once did, long ago… just promise me that."

"Heh, I don't think I ever could…" Kotetsu smiles now, the earlier anxiety fading away as he relaxes into post-sex bliss.

Only once they've cleaned up the mess, once Kotetsu is in plaid flannel pajama pants and Barnaby is in an old pair of faded jeans, once their unfortunate clothing has been sent off to be laundered… do they remember their forgotten dinner.

The fried rice is cold, but they eat it as-is anyway, with Barnaby sitting comfortably between Kotetsu's legs as they look out over the city that they both love.

_o/~ Pretty, pretty please  
>Don't you ever, ever feel<br>Like your less than fuckin' perfect.  
>Pretty, pretty please<br>If you ever, ever feel  
>Like you're nothing<br>You're fuckin' perfect to me ~/o_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for all of the faves and reviews. I'm nearly done with 4 as well, so I'll try to have that up soon.

* * *

><p>Barnaby is already awake when the lights begin to slowly and automatically come on in his bedroom the next morning, simulating a sunrise. It's raining again, however - he can hear it beating down against the windows – and his call bracelet tells him upon quick survey that the temperature is still an abysmal 2 degrees Celsius.<p>

Waking up with someone beside him is still an unusual thing, but he's gotten a little more used to it in the last week. Still, despite being back in his own apartment, or maybe because of it, Barnaby feels oddly unsettled. …_I'm so used to being alone here._ Kotetsu is on his stomach, the pillow half over his head to block out the lights and the world, still sound asleep. It's a rare opportunity to study his lover unnoticed, for Barnaby generally feels awkward when caught doing so while Kotetsu is awake. The blanket sits just at his partner's hip, exposing most of his back, and Barnaby's eyes skim along the familiar curve and up over one shoulder to the hand pillowed under his cheek.

Rolling onto his side, he says softly, "Kotetsu?" The pillow is hiding most of the older man's face from view, but Barnaby reaches one tentative hand out to tenderly brush back a lock of hair, tucking it behind an ear. Despite the fine lines at the corners of his partner's eyes, he still looks younger than his years when asleep and not attempting to carry so much on his shoulders.

"Mmpff…" Kotetsu's response is a vague mumble into the pillow, followed by a heavy sigh and a face-plant into the mattress.

It would be… _cute_, maybe, if they didn't have somewhere to be in an hour. "Lazy Tiger…" Barnaby intones softly, reaching with one finger to poke him lightly in the ribs. "It's time to wake up…" It's the very mild hour of 10 AM, but Barnaby has a feeling that his partner isn't going to make this easy for him.

This time, Kotetsu shifts a little, looping one arm around Barnaby with a grunt, his face still mashed into the mattress. "Wanna sleep more."

"You can't," Barnaby says pointedly, trying to remove Kotetsu's arm with one hand and the pillow from his head with the other. "We can't be late."

Finally turning towards his partner, Kotetsu only drags him in closer with that one arm, burying his face in the messy curls. "Sure we can."

Barnaby's cheeks color when Kotetsu's warm breathy laugh tickles his neck, but now is not the time to be getting distracted. "Let me go, old man."

Kotetsu finally cracks one amber eye open, smiling a little because he can tell he's ruffled his partner, and then he drags his fingertips lazily over Barnaby's bare lower back, one vertebrae at a time. "Starting with the insults early today?"

"You're being a… a tease," Barnaby stutters, but he doesn't push Kotetsu or his affection away. "When you know we can't stay here, so… so let go of me!"

"How about a good morning kiss?" Kotetsu now asks hopefully, both eyes open and twinkling. "And I promise I'll let go." Truthfully, that's all he really wants anyway, other than to stay in bed all day, which isn't going to happen. Too many days of rain always does this to him, makes him feel heavy… but the ache in his right knee tells him it won't be rain for much longer.

"_And_ get out of bed?"

"And get out of bed. Just tell me… that you wish we could stay here too."

"How do you know that's even the truth," Barnaby hmphs softly, even as he curls into Kotetsu just a little in the extra moment they're stealing for themselves.

"You're not denying it," Kotetsu grins, then draws back until they are nose to nose, too close to properly focus on each other.

Barnaby leans in to kiss him, just once, chastely, then turns away with a smirk. "That's all you get."

Kotetsu debates for a moment about keeping his promise when his Bunny is being so adorable, but he doesn't want to erase that endearing expression by making him angry. In the end, he releases Barnaby, and they are dressed and out the door almost on time.

The car from Apollon is waiting outside for them, but even umbrellas are a small defense against the sideways-blowing rain. Kotetsu's polka-dot umbrella ends up inside out before they're halfway down the stairs, and he's drenched by the time they're in the car.

"Damn umbrella," he swears, struggling to right the thing as the car pulls away from the curb, spraying water everywhere in the process.

"Kotetsu, stop," Barnaby holds up his hands to try and protect his glasses, but it's no use.

"I think it's broken." There's water dropping off the end of Kotetsu's nose and his brown over-coat is more than a little damp. He has the feeling it's just going to be one of those days - thus, his great desire to stay in bed.

With a sigh, Barnaby unwinds a soft, black cashmere scarf from around his own neck, using the end of it to dry the water from his glasses, and then from his partner's face. "Just keep it until you warm up a little, alright?" he says, winding it around Kotetsu when the other man shrugs off his overcoat with a shiver. He's perfectly warm wearing his red turtleneck under his leather jacket, even if he is displeased that the sleeves are somewhat damp.

Everyone seems to drive a little crazier than usual in the rain, but their destination isn't that far from Barnaby's apartment, in the heart of the most upscale shopping district in Stern Bild. Despite the storm, there are still a rather large number of shoppers out and about.

"Pretty bad storm out there, Mr, Brooks," the door attendant of the boutique greets them at the car with another umbrella, the same durable fiberglass as Barnaby's.

"Indeed," Barnaby hands his umbrella to Kotetsu and pauses to convey to the driver what time to retrieve them before following the attendant into the boutique.

Inside, the space is bright, with white walls lined in mirrors and colored lights hung from angles to create interesting patterns on the white floors. The mannequins in elegant poses display a variety of chic men's clothing, most of which Kotetsu would _never_ be caught dead in. His mood souring further, he slouches after Barnaby, who is already conversing with several staff members about their attire for the gala event. There's no one else in the shop at all, and Kotetsu can only assume that Agnes had the place rented out just for his singular personal _torture_.

"Why can't I just wear something I already own?" Kotetsu mutters, a little too loudly, hmping discontentedly when Barnaby shoots him a _look_ over his shoulder.

Barnaby's frequented this shop so much in the last year that the attendants have already picked out a handful of things for him to try on, hung perfectly along the rack in his dressing room.

Kotetsu watches as his partner disappears behind a door and stands rather dumbly in the middle of the store, gazing around the room uncomfortably. _Why does everything have so many ruffles?_ How in the world is he supposed to take this _seriously_?

"Would you like us to select some garments for you as well, Mr. Tiger?" a petite girl with curly red hair asks politely with a smile.

"Ah, no… thanks…" he stammers, finally walking over to a rack of plain dress shirts. He knows he'd better find _something_ to wear or risk ending up in said ruffles.

Inside the dressing room, the walls are again lined with mirrors, and a red-velvet cushioned seat runs along one wall. Kotetsu loosens his tie and starts to unbutton his shirt, finally looking down at the floor to avoid having to stare at so very many reflections of himself all at once.

Barnaby is already waiting for him outside the door when Kotetsu opens it, and he can't help but burst into immediate laughter at the sight of his blond partner. There are a _ridiculous_ number of gold buttons down the front of both lapels of Barnaby's shiny black suit jacket, and underneath it, he's wearing only a red silk shirt, bursting open with ruffles down the center.

"Kotetsu, _what_ are you wearing?" Barnaby sighs in exasperation when his partner finally creeps out of the dressing room, trying unsuccessfully to stifle his snickers.

"What am _I_ wearing?" Kotetsu manages to gasp in between his fits of laughter, as the shop girls politely find shirts to re-fold on the other side of the store. "What are _you_ wearing?"

"That's the same thing you always wear!" Barnaby waves one hand in the air in frustration, gesturing to their reflections, side by side in yet another mirror. Kotetsu's shirt is a different shade of green, certainly, and he's replaced the vest with a similar one in black, and his usual tie with some hideous red-striped _thing_ that Barnaby can't quite believe actually _came_ from this store…but… "You look like a terrible Christmas decoration."

Kotetsu snickers and shrugs. "Nothing here is really my… thing…" he tries to explain, but Barnaby isn't having any of his excuses.

"Let me put it simply," Barnaby turns to face his partner and reaches with one hand to finger the terrible tie. "This party is more formal than most, and more important than most, and so what you wear should be… more than your usual."

Kotetsu frowns and takes a step back, barely pretending to comply. He's annoyed that Barnaby is acting like his keeper, even if he has a point, and it harkens back to the early mindset of being hired as his foil. "I get you…" he says slowly, doing his best to appear patronized. Really, the moment has only reminded him of how much he misses this dumb bullshit, the little in-betweens of their partnership that he took for granted while trying so hard to hide his dwindling powers every day. _No, little Bunny, I think I'm going to have some fun today… after all, there's no time like the present!_

They disappear into their respective dressing rooms for a second time, and once again, Barnaby beats Kotetsu back to the main mirror. Tapping his foot impatiently, he studies his reflection, for a moment missing those silly menswear and swimsuit spreads they'd always been forced to pose for.

When Kotetsu finally emerges again, it's with an enormous shit-eating grin plastered across his face as he twirls a cane around one finger and tips a top hat to his partner with the other. "Little Bunny?"

"Old man?" This time, Barnaby is seriously, completely, totally _not_ amused. For a moment, he feels like he's returned to the early days of their partnership, when everything Kotetsu did seemed to be _purposefully_ _meant_ to annoy him. His nose lifting just a little into the air, he crosses his arms and glares. "What, please tell me, is that _atrocity_? Are you kidding? You must be kidding. Can you really not take this _seriously_?"

"It comes in purple too!" Kotetsu offers with a cheeky, arrogant grin, shoving his hands into his pockets and turning to saunter back into his dressing room, the tails of the turquoise polyester tuxedo fluttering behind him. "It's perfect! _More than my usual._"

"I am not amused," Barnaby snaps, but follows his partner into the dressing room, nudging the door closed behind them with one foot. He does _not_ need the shop girls witnessing this debacle. Or the murder of his partner.

Barnaby's ensemble this time is actually pretty striking, and Kotetsu finds himself studying it appreciatively in the mirrors as he sifts through the clothing looking for the purple version he'd mentioned. Barnaby's suit is red this time around, but not shiny, and the shirt is a non-ruffled black with thin gold pinstripes. Even though the top button is undone, Barnaby is loosely wearing a tie this time, a long skinny black one that disappears into the red jacket temptingly. "You could definitely wear the fedora with that, Bunny."

Ignoring the statement, Barnaby starts rifling through the hanging clothing, looking for anything that isn't completely ridiculous, without much success. "Why are you making this so difficult? Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed today?"

Kotetsu stops looking for the purple suit, instead turning to watch Barnaby as he rants and searches, particularly the appealing curve of his ass in those snug red pants. _I didn't want to leave the bed._ He doesn't know why it's such a turn-on to get under his partner's skin like this, but it is, and he's not actually listening to a word the blond is saying. Now that he's started to let himself actually indulge his own thoughts, this deep attraction, he's begun to realize that he can't help but study Barnaby nearly every opportunity he finds…

"You aren't even listening to me," Barnaby says, waving a hand in front of Kotetsu's dazed eyes as he turns around. The adoring and somewhat gaping expression painted on his partner's face actually makes Barnaby just a touch uncomfortable, but only because of the warmth that rises up quickly in his own face. "Take that ridiculous outfit off!"

Kotetsu only chuckles softly as he watches the blush rising in Barnaby's cheeks, and wonders how many times in the past he was oblivious to the chemistry between them. _How did I ever try to ignore it for so long?_ "Ruffles are appropriate, but top hats aren't?"

"Take it off!" Barnaby's hands snap out suddenly in frustration with his stubborn partner, one at the hat, the other grabbing Kotetsu's orange and pink polka-dot tie and yanking him in close.

Kotetsu stumbles, landing against his partner and dropping the hat, still chuckling as Barnaby loosens the horrendous tie and yanks it off. "Just going to undress me yourself, Bunny?"

Barnaby's already gotten half of the buttons on the lime green shirt undone in record time, and when he looks up, it's over the rims of the glasses that have slid down his nose from the tussle. Kotetsu's eyes seem impossibly close, lit up with desire, and they stall Barnaby's hands completely. "Kotetsu…"

"Bunny?" Kotetsu grins in response, making no effort at all to stop his partner.

"Is… is this going to be a problem now?" Barnaby says crossly, looking down again as he continues to unbutton the shirt. He knows that light in his partner's eyes too well, now, but he's never had to deal with it in the middle of… _Is this still considered work? _

"What's a problem?" Kotetsu asks casually, shrugging the jacket off his shoulders before letting a hand stray to Barnaby's hip, toying with a belt loop.

There is no way he's going to answer that verbally, and so Barnaby takes a step back and drags one hand roughly down his partner's chest before cupping his very obvious arousal. "This!" he hisses softly, in half-annoyance, half-arousal himself. "You… You can't just…" Barnaby can't even believe what he's contemplating, what he's about to do, and he pushes Kotetsu back hard and suddenly. "You can't go back out there like that!" _Agnes is going to kill us._

Barnaby's sudden forcefulness takes Kotetsu quite by surprise, and he careens backward, crashing down onto the velvet seat crookedly. "You're… not helping…" he chokes out with a sharp laugh as his partner looms over him. "But… you _could_…"

"You're insufferable, Kotetsu… Your inappropriate behavior is…is _not_ my fault," As he lectures, Barnaby's gaze travels down the bare-chested body of his partner to the now very obvious hard-on, then flicks back up to his eyes. _But it's still my problem._ "So… if this is what you really want…then…"

"Then…?" Kotetsu asks, scrambling backward across the bench until he's further upright. "Bunny…?" There's a gleam in his partner's eyes that's making him suddenly a little nervous, and he wonders if he should regret turning things in this direction.

"I do this, and you're immediately going to be a lot less _difficult_, do you understand me?" Barnaby says, removing his suit jacket and tossing it over the rack before rolling up the ends of his sleeves. He acts as if he's trying to convince himself, but truthfully, it's hard not to want to touch his partner when Kotetsu is looking at him like that, practically goading him into it. "And let me remind you, this room is _not_ soundproof."

"Umm… ah… Bunny…" Kotetsu stammers in surprise when his partner suddenly descends to his knees between Kotetsu's spread legs. ". – aah!" Kotetsu bites his lip hard to keep back his voice as Barnaby unbuttons the terrible turquoise pants and palms his erection roughly.

"Maybe it would have been less trouble to give you what you wanted this morning, even if it _had_ made us late…" Barnaby contemplates a little hoarsely, wondering how exactly he ended up on his knees in a dressing room in the most elite boutique in the city. Looking up once more, using the authority and impatience in his voice to mask his own nervousness, Barnaby commands his partner sharply. "And don't you dare even _think_ about touching my hair."

This is happening way too fast for Kotetsu to keep up with, even though it's mostly his own fault, and his first impulse _is_ to weave a hand into those gold curls as Barnaby descends on him quite mercilessly. _Nonono, then he might stop…_ "Damn…" is all Kotetsu finally manages, instead bringing one fist up to muffle his voice.

Truthfully, this is something else that Barnaby doesn't really have much experience with, but there's no way he's going to divulge that at the moment. It doesn't seem like Kotetsu is unhappy though, as Barnaby wraps a hand around his length and strokes hard and fast, the way he's already picked up that his partner often likes it.

Kotetsu's hips jerk up into Barnaby's hand, and he can't quite believe they're doing this nearly in public. _It's my own fault, true, but…_ it kind of makes it even better, in a strange way he can't explain. Knowing there are people just outside the door, Kotetsu can't drag his eyes away from the sight of his partner on his knees, the slightly crooked glasses, those soft lips he's so fond of just inches away from…

Barnaby's gaze flickers up for a moment, and even though he feels a little bit self-conscious with Kotetsu's eyes riveted to his face, he doesn't back down. He's finding that he actually rather _likes_ having his partner at his mercy in such a manner. Slowing his hand, he leans forward to take the head of Kotetsu's cock into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it slowly.

"Bunny…" Kotetsu gasps, a shudder running down his spine to join the heat collecting where Barnaby's mouth is now wrapped around the end of his cock.

Barnaby only hums in response, his natural confidence returning the more he can tell he's completely unraveling his partner, and quickly. Letting go, Barnaby instead pushes Kotetsu's hips down with one hand, refusing to let him thrust while taking the time to run his tongue down the entire underside.

All Kotetsu wants is to be loud in response, and it's driving him crazy that it's the very thing he can't have, and he twitches a little, placing a hand on his partner's shoulder instead. "Making me… crazy… Bunny…" he rasps softly, his head lolling forward as he pants a little.

Barnaby smiles, though he doesn't look up, and then he nips with his teeth, ever so lightly, as if to say "_serves you right, old man."_ All the same, he knows that time is of the essence, and he lets his hold on Kotetsu up a little, sliding his hand instead, around, under, to grip his partner's ass, still clad in terrible turquoise.

Kotetsu nearly loses it when Barnaby stops holding him down, instead letting Kotetsu thrust upwards so hard that he knows he's hit the back of his partner's throat. "Aah! Bu…bunny, _please_…"

This has gotten a little bit messier than Barnaby's intended, but he can't very well tell his partner no at the point they've hit. Instead, he digs his fingers hard into Kotetsu's thigh, urging him without words not to hold back.

Kotetsu can't quite help the keening little whine he lets out as Barnaby sucks him dry, but before he's even come down off the high, there's a sharp knock at the dressing room door.

"Is… is everything alright, gentleman? Can we get another size for you?"

Barnaby looks up in surprise, his face going white at the intrusion, but he's panting too, a little dribble of Kotetsu's cum on his chin, and Kotetsu takes pity on him immediately, clearing his throat. "Ah….yeah! Yeah… that one in the store window? Does that… come in my size?" There's an answer from behind the door that neither of them really listen to, because in the next beat, Kotetsu is hauling Barnaby up by that skinny black tie and kissing him soundly, growling a little as he tastes himself on his partner's lips and tongue. "Let me return the favor…"

"Not now…" Barnaby uses Kotetsu as leverage to push himself properly to his feet, turning to the mirror to fuss over his appearance, taking a few deep breaths to calm his own racing heart, lest he get away from himself. He's only half-hard, and as long as he doesn't let Kotetsu touch him again… "They're already suspicious. Please tell me you have a handkerchief on you."

"But Bunny," Kotetsu's voice is almost a whine as he reaches towards his partner, his eyes still a little glazed, but Barnaby sidesteps him with an unusually pleased look.

"No buts, Kotetsu," he says as he turns to find his partner's original clothing in a heap in the corner. "Can't you just be satisfied?" Turning back to face the now-pouting man, he cleans off his face, then his hands as best as possible before pocketing the handkerchief. "I'm not… upset with you."

"Honest?" Kotetsu frowns, but Barnaby is still giving him the same unusual expression, and there's knocking at the door again. This is all-new territory, and he sometimes wonders if he's messing up without realizing it. Still, they've promised each other trust and communication, and doubting his partner's words isn't the best way to convey those feelings.

"Yes." Barnaby sighs and leans in, kissing his partner's cheek before stepping out of the dressing room to negotiate with the shop girls again as if nothing untoward has happened at all. Kotetsu is left standing half-dressed and satiated in the messy pile of clothing, but he can't quite keep the satisfied grin from creeping onto his face.

In the end, with Kotetsu in a much better mood, they find something agreeable to both of them and complimentary to each other, and even the girls in the shop can't help but congratulate them on their dapper appearance. The packages are sent back to Barnaby's apartment, and they manage not to hold up the re-opening of the store by more than a few minutes.

"Hey, Bunny? We're only a few blocks away from one of Kaede's favorite stores…I'd love to stop by and get her a present…" Kotetsu's mood has mellowed out into his usual cheerful countenance thanks to Barnaby's ministrations and the end of their painful wardrobe excursion, and he wheedles a little, nudging his partner with one elbow. The rain has let up into an irritating mist, but the umbrellas aren't quite as necessary as they'd been earlier. "Pleeease?"

Barnaby knows that there isn't really anything else on their schedule today until a dinner out at Hero's Bar with some of their friends, but he still forces Kotetsu to beg three more times before acquiescing. It might be just a little bit of revenge for the scene in the dressing room, though truthfully, it's actually left Barnaby in a good mood as well.

Of course, the toy-shopping excursion becomes an excuse for Kotetsu to demand lunch from one of the suspiciously-smelling hot dog trucks, which becomes an excuse for Barnaby to demand they wait in line at his favorite smoothie shop as well.

"Are you telling me you've really never eaten from the street stalls, Bunny?" Kotetsu is mocking his partner, waving his hot dog around as Barnaby waits patiently for his Raspberry Explosion. "You're seriously missing out!"

Barnaby is about to take his first sip as they step away from the store when a commotion halfway down the street draws their attention. There's some scaffolding set up for what looks like possibly a movie or television shoot, but it hardly matters – the only thing that does matter is that, even at this distance, they both can see immediately that it's collapsing.

People are screaming.

The hot dog is on the ground in an instant, as Kotetsu activates his powers and dashes towards the civilians frozen fearfully in the way. Barnaby is right beside him and without even needing words, they move seamlessly to save the day.

Wind rushes through Barnaby's hair as he leaps towards the falling metal beam, shouldering the blow to protect both his partner and the children Kotetsu is sweeping into his arms and out of harm's way. It's too heavy a load, though, and as soon as Kotetsu is certain no one else is in the way, he jumps back up towards Barnaby, the wire in his watch shooting out towards a nearby building for something to anchor the metal to.

As if they are passing the baton in a relay race, Barnaby is moving again as soon as Kotetsu has one hand on the beam, off to the other end of the scaffolding in hopes of saving the entire structure from collapsing onto the street below. Even if he still has at least three minutes left, he knows now that his partner doesn't, and they need to fix this quickly. One sharp kick rights the crooked metal, and with the wire holding the other end in place, it's at least not going to collapse any further.

By the time Kotetsu's glow is fading, they are both safely back on the ground, side by side, as bystanders and cameras waiting on the sidelines for the filming close in on them. Kotetsu turns away from the crowd a little, lifting one hand to pull his hat down, shielding his face in automatic habit.

Realizing immediately what the problem is, Barnaby slips one hand into his jacket, pulling out the mask he'd secreted there, getting off the train the night before. Maybe it's old-fashioned, maybe there's not even a point to the disguise anymore, but… he knows how much it matters to his partner. _He doesn't look right without it. _"Here, Tiger, quickly…"

Kotetsu's eyes follow Barnaby's back in touched surprise as his partner steps forward to greet the public, getting everyone to back off a little. Fans are already waving paper and pens at him for autographs, and a crying mother of one of the rescued children is making a beeline in Kotetsu's direction. _How well Bunny knows me…_ Slipping the mask easily in place, Kotetsu turns to envelop the crying mother in his arms, hugging her gently as her son thanks him repeatedly with excited stars in his eyes.

It takes them two hours, a hundred autographs, an interview and an interruption by Hero TV itself to get out of the spotlight. One of the production members finally breaks through to usher them into a waiting car, filled, amazingly enough, with all of the packages for Kaede that they'd dropped in their hurry to protect the citizens. Even Kotetsu's half-eaten hot dog, now cold, is sitting on a tray next to Barnaby's smoothie and… a bottle of wine with a note in Agnes' handwriting.

_Are you certain you want to retire?_

There's no denying that doing his job again is a real rush, but Kotetsu snatches the note off the bottle, crumpling it in his fist and tossing it out the open window as they pull away from the curb. Because of course he's certain. He can't go back. He doesn't want Barnaby to think about going back, leaving… No, this doesn't change anything, even if… even if it feels amazing, to save a life again.

"What was that, Kotetsu?" Barnaby starts to ask, but the question is barely out of his mouth before his cell phone is ringing. Pulling it out of his pocket, Barnaby's eyebrows rise in surprise. "Kaede?"

Kotetsu yanks his own phone out of his pocket to check for a missed call, but there isn't one. "What?" he leans over Barnaby's shoulder to protest into the video screen, cutting off her greeting. "You don't even call your own father first?"

"Barnaby's the one who actually listens to me when I talk," Kaede reminds them both matter-of-factly, before continuing, half-excited, half-concerned. "I saw you on TV! Are you okay?"

"No one was injured, including us," Barnaby informs her patiently, glancing sideways at Kotetsu and smiling a little. "And thankfully, Hero TV rescued us before the impromptu interview became too prying." It's only half the truth, as much as Barnaby can sugar-coat it. He hadn't minded all of the autographs or the fans, but when the cameras, and then the paparazzi…

_Barnaby! Barnaby, why are the two of you retiring?_

_Wild Tiger, is it true you're too old for this business now?_

_What are your plans, now, Mr. Brooks? Are you going to follow in your parents' footsteps or open up their research to the public?_

_Is it true you knew nothing of the deceit of Albert Maverick?_

Barnaby shakes himself out of a daze, thankful that Kotetsu is still busy arguing with Kaede over his shoulder, neither of them realizing his momentary lapse. The attention was overwhelming after their time away, all of the questions dragging to mind things he'd left in a box in the corner of his mind for the last two weeks of his life. Even now, cracking that box open makes him feel a little nauseous and he finally hands the phone to his partner, leaning against him with a heavy sigh.

Kotetsu finishes the call with a promise to do the calling himself tomorrow, and lowers his arm with a sigh of his own. Barnaby is warm resting against his shoulder, eyelashes fanned prettily against his cheeks behind the rosy glasses, and the slight dip of his head gives away the fact that he's dozed off.

It's been an accidentally exciting day in more than one way, and Kotetsu leans against one of Kaede's many enormous new plush toys with a smile. Tugging Barnaby's black scarf a little tighter, and then Barnaby a little tighter, he lets his own eyes slip closed to enjoy a catnap as well.

After all, it's rush hour in Stern Bild, so it's going to take them an hour to drive the forty blocks and six avenues to Hero's Bar.

_o/~ Oh, the weather outside is frightful  
><em>_But the fire is so delightful  
><em>_And since we've no place to go  
><em>_Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ~/o_

The driver wakes both Kotetsu and Barnaby when he pulls the door open an hour and a half later, and they scramble to catch the toys before they tumble out onto the pavement. Barnaby instructs their driver to deliver the packages to his apartment and they head for the front door of the bar. The temperature has started to drop, the light of the city reflecting back at them off the thick layer of gray clouds over their heads.

Karina is the featured performer at Hero's Bar tonight, and she's backstage prepping when Kotetsu and Barnaby are greeted first by Antonio's one-armed hugs, and then by Ivan's excited bow.

Kotetsu is eager to retain the good mood of this day and happily launches immediately into a retelling of their afternoon adventure, much to Barnaby's embarrassment. Like the ever-dutiful best friend, Antonio listens as his friend leads the way through the bar to his favorite seats, and Ivan falls back to greet Barnaby more personally.

"I'm glad you both could join us tonight."

"Is Keith out patrolling still?" Barnaby asks Ivan, as he glances around and realizes that besides rather underage Pao-lin, the wind master is the only one of the group unaccounted for.

Ivan nods, but jams his hands in his jacket pockets, ducking his head and letting his hair fall forward to shield his face before he speaks. "He'll be here soon, though."

Nathan greets them at the bar with the news that new drinks have been named in honor of their retirement, handing them each one – each other's. "The Crusher for Justice, better known as the Wild Tiger" he winks and points at the vivid neon green drink in Barnaby's hand, fizzing a little on top. "And the Barnaby Brooks version, Protector of Peace!"

The drink in Kotetsu's hand is a rich red, of course, and with a shit-eating grin directed at Barnaby, he tips the glass back, draining it in one go. The gesture is not lost on Barnaby, and he accepts the challenge, downing the green one in 1-2 gulps, his eyes watering when the fizz attempts to exit through his nose.

Kotetsu immediately demands one of his own to try, so Barnaby follows suit, sitting down on a barstool beside him, with Ivan on his other side. Antonio and Nathan take seats on Kotetsu's other side, but before they've finished the second round, Karina makes her entrance on stage. The crowd settles down and Barnaby lets the music carry him away while his friends all order a third round and snacks to go with it. The music isn't opera, but Karina's voice is clear and strong, blending with the pure tone of the piano in a soothing way.

The other heroes have been too kind to ask him the kinds of questions that were shouted at his face today by the paparazzi, but it doesn't mean that Barnaby hasn't considered them all. Considered, but hardly even thought them through… The days keep tumbling forward anyway, though, even as he has no answers to any of it, and he's grateful to get lost in listening for a while instead of having to think about life.

Kotetsu is on at least his fifth re-telling of their now quite-embellished afternoon rescue by the end of the concert, this time for Karina's benefit, definitely on the drunker side, when Ivan takes the opportunity to draw Barnaby into conversation again. "How did you know?"

The question is so soft, so out of the blue, and Barnaby is a little drunk himself, and he almost misses the implication. His gaze is fixed on Kotetsu's wildly gesturing hands, and he realizes that Ivan has caught him staring. "I… what do you mean?"

Ivan doesn't really clarify his question, but he continues talking in his roundabout way, watching Barnaby watching Kotetsu, all the while kicking one leg restlessly against the wood of the bar with a tap-tap-tap. "…if you like somebody, but you don't think they have any idea? Don't look at you that way? If you don't even know… how to tell them…"

Ivan's words cause Barnaby's mind to flash through his past, through all of the months he'd spent working with, connecting with, his partner… all the miscommunications and arguments… the talks of friendship and trust… how they'd grown towards one another… _But all that time, I never could forget about that night in my apartment, how it felt..._ "I… when we kissed, and… I think I knew," Barnaby answers all of the questions with the only thought in his mind. "Even if I ignored it for awhile, or was too caught up… no matter what made me ultimately admit it to myself…" _…like almost killing my partner. _ Barnaby trails off and his cheeks flush – he can't quite believe he's talking to _Ivan_ about this, but…

But there is no way that Ivan's gentle soul would tease his former schoolmate about something so sensitive, not when his curiosity is just as deep-hearted as the subject itself. "That's… rather brave…" His tone is wistful as he continues to watch Barnaby watching Kotetsu, still oblivious to their conversation as he claps Antonio on the back and laughs uproariously at something Nathan's said to them.

"No, " Barnaby says with a shake of his head, though the smile creeping onto his face at the now-fond memory is genuine. "It was actually rather _foolish_ of me at the time, but…"

"You don't regret it," Ivan grins a little now, picking up the drink he's been swishing around for the last hour and downing it in a few gulps. What Kotetsu and Barnaby have… it gives him hope, in a way he can't explain, just as he can't put into words how much he, and everyone, already misses them. It hasn't been the same without them around, and he doesn't know that it ever will.

"It's the only thing in my life I'm certain about," Barnaby says after a moment, and finally glances over at Ivan, wondering if he is expected to pry back in return. _Was Origami trying to ask my advice earlier? _"Are you… do you…" he stumbles, reaching to adjust his glasses, uncertain of what to actually ask.

"Oh! Umm…" Ivan stalls and self-consciously begins to fold his bar napkin into the shape of a paper star. It's a new year's resolution to try and be less awkward with his friends. _Friends. Yes, that's what they are._ "Umm…"

Unwittingly as ever, Kotetsu spares the two of them the rest of the conversation by knocking into Barnaby as he turns to greet their final late arrival. "Keith! Come drink with us! Oops, sorry, Bunny!"

Keith has brought John with him and as Kotetsu greets their friend with a one-armed hug and an insistent plea that he try the "Crusher for Justice" drink, the dog bounds up to Ivan, nearly knocking him off of his bar stool with exuberance.

"I think John has missed you, Ivan," Keith says once Kotetsu has let go of him, reaching to ruffle John's head with one hand and Ivan's hair with the other. "Again, since you haven't been by since Christmas, he's… missed you."

Ivan beams at Keith for a moment and then hops off of the bar stool, reaching to scratch behind the dog's ears and bury his face in the fluff for a moment as his acknowledgement of the statement.

"Is that snow on your jacket, Keith?" Karina asks in interest, brushing a sheen of white dust off the arm of their friend.

"It is, indeed," Keith grins and gestures towards the door. "It started to snow on our walk over. It's quite beautiful."

"Snowing? Finally!" Kotetsu is immediately excited, sounding more like a kid than any of them, and he heads immediately for the door, grabbing his jacket off a hook on the way. He's been waiting all day for this moment.

Keith laughs and turns to follow his friend, with John running after him, and Ivan jumps up to chase them both, grabbing for the trailing leash. Karina watches them for a moment and then, biting her lip a little, grins and chases after them. "Wait up!"

"Where is everyone going?" Antonio asks in confusion, finally turning around.

"I believe they're going to see the snow," Barnaby answers, turning in his seat to watch the line of their friends traipsing through the center of the bar.

"And we're going too~!" Nathan drags Antonio off his bar stool in one smooth motion, linking arms, and then, just as easily, he links his other arm with Barnaby's and pulls him up as well. "We don't want to miss all the fun!"

Outside Hero Bar, John is now running, leaving a circle of paw prints in the snow while Ivan chases him and Keith laughs, and in the center of their orbit, Karina stands with both palms open and outstretched, eyes turned to the sky as she lets the snowflakes land in her hands and her hair.

Barnaby doesn't make even it two steps out the door before he is pelted in the chest with a fluffy ball of white that explodes with a POOF in his face. Spluttering, he attempts to wipe his glasses clean as he demands. "WHO?"

But the answer is obvious, because Kotetsu is doubled over in laughter, scooping snow from the iron railings in front of the nearest building as fast as he can to make another. "Gotcha, little Bunny!"

"Old man!" Barnaby's eyes narrow, and he ducks the second snowball, which smacks Antonio with a dull thud in the back of his collar, to which he yelps in a rather undignified manner.

Keith is the next to join in on the action, and he uses his wind to rustle the snow out of a tree overhead, scooping it off the ground and chucking it, with a little too much air, straight at an unsuspecting Ivan. The snowballs start flying as Ivan goes careening over backwards, and in a moment, it's an every-hero-for-himself war.

Nathan uses his powers to melt the snowballs before they can even get close to him, but because of this, he can't throw very many at all. Karina's enthusiasm can't help but add a little extra power to her snowballs, and as if the game was invented solely for her satisfaction, she makes an effort to pelt every single of the heroes as quickly and efficiently as possible.

In the wake of Karina's onslaught, with Keith's wind knocking snowballs in all unpredictable directions, Kotetsu and Barnaby naturally edge closer and closer to each other, until they find position behind a dumpster, guarding each other's backs. After all, getting one down the back of the neck is the absolute worst.

The battle continues until the real wind starts to pick up, and with visibility fading fast, Nathan and Karina finally decide to put an end to the boys' fun. "Truce~!"

"Safe travels!" Keith calls to them as he takes John's leash, tucking Ivan under one arm as they head off down the street. Karina's train is a block in their direction so she hurries after them, and when Antonio and Nathan head back inside for "one more round", Kotetsu and Barnaby are left standing alone.

Kotetsu takes a step towards his partner, gesturing towards the street with one hand. "You want to call the car… or take a walk?" It seems like a crazy idea to want to walk in this weather, but Kotetsu can see how flushed Barnaby's face is and he's a little too warm himself. Some fresh air might do them both some good.

"Let's walk a little…" Barnaby wants to be surprised by how well Kotetsu knows him, recognizes his nervous energy, but he isn't, really – just grateful. There's been a lot on his mind today, but he isn't sure he wants to talk about any of it.

Falling into step beside his partner, Kotetsu nods, and after a moment of silence, starts to fill the space with, "Ah, wasn't tonight great? It was so much fun, all of us together again…"

Barnaby's head is down against the wind to shield his glasses, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he listens to Kotetsu ramble. It's true, the night was a lot of fun… so different than things used to be, after all that's happened. He knows very well that he was once far more cold and distant with his fellow heroes, back in the days when Kotetsu would generally have to _drag_ him to these gatherings. _Back then, the only thing that felt real was my revenge, and then, afterwards, my job…_ Trying to connect with the others had felt uncomfortable, like… going against orders, but now… now, those relationships were the most real thing left in Barnaby's life. Through the ordeal, they had all bonded. "It's confusing sometimes…" _Oh, did I say that out loud?_

It takes Kotetsu a moment to realize that Barnaby might, in fact, be even drunker than he is, and letting his rambling about their night trail off, he nudges his partner lightly with one elbow. "Something bothering you, Bunny?" He might have blown off thinking about certain things to enjoy their time with their friends, and embellished the parts of the story he wanted to remember… but it didn't mean that he hadn't been aware of the barrage of press today too. "What's confusing…?"

"Life… this…" Barnaby says vaguely, gesturing with one hand. Where would he even begin to explain everything that's on his mind? "Everything just keeps tumbling forward day by day, whether I'm making a decision about what to do next or not… there's… always something else someone else _thinks_ I should do… and…"

"And?" Kotetsu prods, wanting very much to know what his partner's thoughts are.

"And I don't _know_ what I want to do next, and I wish everyone would stop _asking_ me! I just want to decide for myself for once, and I can't even get the space to do that!" Frustration rolls off of Barnaby in waves, as if he's finally getting the chance to recognize just what a complete mess his life is, now that they've come back to Stern Bild.

Kotetsu knows this rant isn't really directed at him and yet, he still can't help but take some of it a little too personally. _Does Bunny think I… or even my powers… have decided this fate for us?_ "You could always go back, Bunny… I'd never blame you." Seeing how much they are still needed here makes him wonder if it's only what's happened between them that is keeping Barnaby in Oriental Town. _If I'm the reason he retired, deep down…_ "If Oriental Town, or… heh, an old man, is too boring for you…"

Barnaby knows very well by now Kotetsu's tendency to make jokes when he's hurting, instead of being honest, and he turns on him sharply, looking up and blinking heavily against the falling snow in outrage. "What are you talking about?"

There _is_ a little bit of fear that Barnaby will leave him behind and go back to work some day, and there's an ache in response to that thought that tells Kotetsu just how much he's given his heart away already. It's a terrible thing, feeling like being himself is still, in some way, letting the people he cares about down, and getting left behind. "If you wanted to be a hero again, without me, I'd understand."

"What? Why? Why would you say that, think that?" Barnaby starts, then stops as he chokes up at the thought. After all the talk of figuring things together, why were they right back at square one again? "How could you think I would go back without you? I'm not even talking about that!" _I'm talking about everything and anything that isn't just going back to being a hero again._

_Why would I think that?_ Kotetsu wonders what he would do if their situations were somehow reversed, but that's simplifying it too much. "Then what _are_ you thinking about? What is it you want? Bunny, I-" Kotetsu reaches out for his partner, a touch desperate to understand.

Barnaby's too worked up now, though, and he sidesteps as he cuts Kotetsu off again, continuing to yell at him for… for voicing thoughts that are just another part of this whole mess in his head. "I already told you that I _don't know_ what I want – I… I've been brainwashed for so long that I don't even know if I _know_ myself… or only _think_ that I do!"

_o/~ All along  
>I tried to pretend it didn't matter<br>If I was alone  
>But deep down I know<br>If you were gone  
>For even a day I wouldn't know which way to turn<br>Cause I'm lost without you ~/o_

Kotetsu can't stand to see Barnaby so upset and he finally reaches out to grab his partner's hand, holding it between his own two to squeeze it gently, with hope he can pull Barnaby back from the brink yet again. "But you know _this_. You know _us_, Bunny… _this_ is real."

"I know that – though I thought maybe _you_ had forgotten it this time." Two tears roll down Barnaby's cheeks, going cold immediately in the icy wind, and he takes a step closer to Kotetsu, his words choked up when he speaks this time. "Kotetsu… If I wanted to leave you, or come back here… I would have left already…" Sighing a little and blinking back another set of tears, Barnaby squeezes Kotetsu's hand back. "But I can't, because… you're the only one who knows the real me, maybe… maybe even better than I know myself. Without you, I… "

_o/~ I get kind of dark  
>Let it go too far<br>I can be obnoxious at times  
>But try and see my heart<br>Cause I need you need now  
>So don't let me down<br>You're the only thing in this world I would die without ~/o  
><em>

Kotetsu pulls Barnaby in, letting go of his hands to fold him into a hug instead, talking low and soft and urgent into his ear. "Just know that I don't ever want to hold you back from yourself, okay?" Drawing back a little, he kisses each of Barnaby's cheeks, not caring if he's fogging the already water-streaked glasses. "I only want to help you figure everything out, bit by bit, all the pieces of Bunny… " _So that you can be happy._

"And I always want you to be able to talk to me too, Kotetsu," Barnaby sighs, calming down a little. "Even if it's just so that I can tell you how completely ridiculous you're being."

"_I'm_ being ridiculous?" Kotetsu teases a little, trying to give Barnaby something else to focus on. Maybe it's selfish of him to look for reassurance from someone who needs his support, but… if they're supposed to do this together, then… "Just for wanting to know how you feel?"

"Idiot…" Instead of answering, Barnaby reaches to take Kotetsu's face between his two hands, leaning in to kiss him suddenly and quite passionately. _A kiss… still conveys what my words can't… _It's snowing hard, and it's late, and there's no one to see them as they melt into one another. "Sure you want to walk all the way home?" Barnaby finally whispers against his partner's lips with a shiver.

"Not really… and maybe it's not warmer," Kotetsu answers, his eyes flaring an electric blue that Barnaby echoes a moment later. "But it'll be faster." Holding out a hand, Kotetsu leaps up to the rooftops, Barnaby grabbing hold to ascend with him.

"I shouldn't even ask how often you've done this, should I?" Barnaby asks as he catches sight of the grin on Kotetsu's face.

"I've missed it!" The storm is raging full-force now, snow falling so fast and furious that even the brightest of lights barely makes a dent in the fog. They leap through the city side by side until Kotetsu grabs Barnaby out of mid-air with one arm, pulling him in tight. The wire snaps out of his watch, and then they're swinging together from building to building as he laughs loudly, still pleasantly tipsy. "Now _this_ is traveling, Bunny!"

"We won't make it up to Gold level on just your wires," Barnaby cautions softly into his ear, one arm tight around Kotetsu's shoulders at they soar. "And your time's already up, old man."

But Kotetsu doesn't care at the moment that Barnaby's right, and midway through a swing, he lets his partner take control again to finish the journey. "Then get us home, little Bunny." With only a minute on his powers to go, Barnaby sweeps Kotetsu into his arms princess-style and makes the final giant leap up to the highest level of Stern Bild, hopping the last few rooftops towards safety and warmth.

_o/~ I know it gets hard sometimes  
>But I could never<br>Leave your side  
>No matter what I say<br>Cause if I wanted to go I would have gone by now,  
>But I really need you near me to<br>Keep my mind off the edge  
>If I wanted to leave I would have left by now,<br>But you're the only one that knows me  
>Better than I know myself ~o_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: **Sorry, my friends, about my slowness. No worries, I won't abandon you! It's just that the pace of conventions has picked up so much my life looks like this, measured in weekends: Anime St. Louis (9 hour drive), ACEN (5 hour drive), May 1-11th, restocking trip to Japan... then after that Animazement, Collossalcon, Connecticon, Anime Expo (hahaha 24 hour drive to Los Angeles), Japan again, Otakon... hahaha, it just never seems to end. XD

There are 3-4 chapters remaining, but you know how I can get wordy...

XOXOXOX

~K

* * *

><p>Overnight, the blizzard blankets the city in a heavy layer of white, slowing and stalling the normally rapid rhythm to a near standstill. Kotetsu's call band goes off at eight in the morning only to tell them that nearly everything in the city is shut down or post-phoned, including his photoshoot for the magazine article about the gala, and he's only too happy to sink back into the warmth of the bed.<p>

With the flip of a button, the growing sunrise fades out into darkness and Barnaby reaches to grab Kotetsu's arm, his voice raspy with sleep. "I'm not meeting with Saito until this afternoon." He isn't ready to let go of this moment yet and the snow has given him the perfect excuse to stay right where he is.

Kotetsu doesn't even need the excuse, and he drags Barnaby into his arms, letting the blond pillow his head on a shoulder, content to sleep until noon. It's too damn cold outside to do anything else.

o/~  
><em>There's a place that I know<br>__It's not pretty there and few have ever gone  
><em>_If I show it to you now  
><em>_Will it make you run away?  
><em>_Or will you stay even if it hurts?  
><em>~/o

A car arrives just after noon to take them to Apollon Media, where Barnaby has an appointment with Saito and Kotetsu is meeting Ben with plans to go for a late lunch.

They are both quiet on the way, lost in thought, and Kotetsu wishes he could reach out and take Barnaby's hand as they walk through the lobby of the familiar building. He can tell that his partner is tense, and he prods the blond about it once they get upstairs. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay, Bunny? We can always…"

"Kotetsu, it's fine," Barnaby gives him a tight half-smile as they stand outside the lab together and then reaches to touch his hand lightly. He isn't quite certain if he's trying to reassure his partner or himself.

"If you change your mind…" Kotetsu really wants to lean in and give Barnaby a kiss goodbye, but they are technically still in public, so he settles for turning Barnaby's hand over into his own so he can squeeze it.

Barnaby nods and squeezes back, then disappears through the door.

Inside the lab, Saito is sitting in front of a monitor, typing away, but he turns when Barnaby enters and greets him at a volume that's nearly impossible to hear, even in the quiet room.

After a year of working together, though, Barnaby finds he's gotten used to it. "I'm doing quite well, Saito, thank you, Barnaby replies, following the shorter man quite closely when he rises and shuffles towards his office, explaining along the way. "And how are you?"

"As well as always. So, tell me, you haven't figured out what the meaning of that sequence of numbers is?"

"No, I haven't…" Truthfully, he hasn't even looked at the paper since the day Saito gave it to him, but he'd memorized the string of numbers - _110472810313329_ – despite the fact that they mean nothing to him. "Did you…?"

"I would have said so if I had," Saito eyes Barnaby curiously. He's rather glad that Kaburagi has taken care of him – well, more so, that they've taken care of each other. Barnaby looks far more rested than he has in months, but also intensely… uncomfortable? "Did you think this meeting was about something else?" Saito finally asks him in curiosity.

"I was… expecting that today might be about you trying to convince me to work for Apollon in a different manner…" Barnaby confesses awkwardly, glancing away. "And it's not that I wish to offend you, but…"

Saito's face splits into a smile and he pats Barnaby's arm, leaning closer to make certain he's heard. "Not that this research couldn't benefit from your involvement, but… no, that's not at all the reason I asked you to meet with me."

"Oh?" Barnaby tries to take the statement as a compliment, but his mind is already spinning off into other possibilities, and he prompts Saito again, less awkward now. "Then… why have you asked me here?"

"Well, I had to hack the programming just to find that password," Saito begins to explain again as he sits down at his desk and clicks a few buttons, bringing up a rolling sequence of gibberish on the screen.

"To engage the safety mode, " Barnaby nods, trying to be patient with the explanation even as he feels anxiety rising in his chest. Saito's work had saved all of their lives that day, and they were lucky to have had someone on their side who knew the robotics coding so intricately. Barnaby feels a little bit of guilt creep up for not knowing more about his parents' work than what he's learned simply because of the suits. _Without Maverick's guidance, would I have made different choices?_ Suddenly realizing that he's missing Saito's explanation, Barnaby shakes off the thoughts and leans in to watch the screen.

"As I continued looking into how the safety mode was turned off, actually, modified in the first place, I came upon a further discrepancy in the file – a pattern." Saito points to the screen, which has now begun high-lighting certain numbers in red.

Barnaby doesn't know enough about this particular code to know why these numbers are red, but he trusts Saito's opinion on the subject. It's hard not to, when he's already entrusted his life to the man in the form of their suits. "However you managed this, it must have led to something substantial-"

"A set of files, buried very deep in the programming, meant to be found only if the safety mode was engaged."

"If a human life is endangered…" Barnaby murmurs as he watches Saito click from the code over to a window with the retrieved files. A video screen pulls up and the suit engineer hovers over the play button for a moment, considering deeply before he turns to look up at Barnaby.

"They could only have been placed there by someone involved with the original programming, and thus I thought it would be best to let you have a look at them first." Saito stands up and gestures for Barnaby to take his seat, then takes a step back.

Barnaby knows, somewhere in his mind, exactly what that statement must mean, but he can't seem to believe it. This is so far from anything he was expecting when he agreed to come here today, and his heart is already beginning to race in anticipation. Barely aware that Saito has left him alone in the room, he reaches to start the video, glancing to see the dozens of files in the accompanying folder.

The video starts and the screen wobbles for a moment as the angle is adjusted, and then, quite suddenly, Barnaby finds himself looking into his father's eyes.

Choking on his next breath, he fumbles to pause the video, his hands shaking violently. He's not even thinking as he slaps down on his call bracelet, his heartbeat pounding in his ears, reaching desperately for his anchor. "Ko… Kotetsu…"

_o/~  
><em>_Like a diamond  
><em>_From black dust  
><em>_It's hard to know  
><em>_What can become  
><em>_If you give up  
><em>_So don't give up on me  
><em>_Please remind me who I really am  
><em>_~/o_

"Still driving around in that taxi?" Kotetsu jokes when he meets Ben out in front of the building. He's been looking forward to this meeting, even if he hasn't quite been able to get his mind off of Barnaby, and Saito's vague letter.

"Hey, no complaints," Ben teasingly lectures back, giving Kotetsu a huge hug. "This taxi saved your ass, delivered your suit..." Ben is happy to see his old friend, and especially to see him looking so well, like he hasn't in years, really, despite everything that's happened.

"And a cold hot dog!" Kotetsu grins as he hugs back, then pats the roof of the car, but before he can attempt another witty remark, his call bracelet chirps.

"Ko… Kotetsu…" Barnaby's voice is choked up, and the video feed is turned off.

"Bunny?" Kotetsu asks immediately in concern, straightening up and shrugging when Ben gives him a questioning look. "Something wrong?"

There's a long hesitation before Barnaby's voice answers. "I… changed my mind… please…"_  
><em>

Kotetsu frowns, already walking back towards the building entrance with an apologetic wave back at Ben. "It's okay, I'll be right there…"

Barnaby doesn't answer and the call cuts off, worrying Kotetsu further, and the elevator ride back up to Saito's office feels so long he wonders if climbing the building Godzilla-style might not get him there faster.

Saito doesn't seem all that surprised to see Kotetsu and points towards his office door, which only confuses Kotetsu more. Pushing open the door, he finds his partner sitting rigid in a chair, staring blankly at a screen that he can't make out from this angle.

Barnaby's pale skin has gone so white that he looks ashy, and Kotetsu sits down in another chair beside him in a hurry, reaching to take a cold and shaking hand between his own two. "Bunny? What's going on?"

"I… decided I needed you here…" Barnaby says more evenly than he had on the phone, but his eyes are still fixed on the screen and he's obviously upset.

"It's no problem at all…" Kotetsu says slowly as he finally follows Barnaby's gaze to the frozen video image on the screen. He can't help but do a double-take, and ask dumbly before even thinking about it. "That's your father, isn't it?"

Barnaby already feels calmer with Kotetsu at his side and he nods, turning to his partner to explain. "I haven't watched it yet, but there's… a set of files… Saito found…"

Kotetsu reaches up to run a hand over Barnaby's curls, then squeezes his shoulder comfortingly. "Then let's watch it together."

Taking a shaky breath, Barnaby lets his fingers intertwine with his partner's and then reaches with his other hand to unpause the video. Now that he's over the initial shock, he realizes that he recognizes the background very vaguely as his father's office.

"If you've retrieved this file, it's because you studied the output when the safety mode was activated - technically, hacked - which, I can only assume, is because Emily and I aren't present anymore."

Barnaby Sr. sits back, as if the idea of that has truly just struck him for the first time. There's a distinct pause before he shakes himself in a very familiar way and continues with what is obviously a somewhat-rehearsed speech.

"It's recently come to my attention that our research is being used for sinister and malicious projects. Perhaps it's my own fault for being too naïve or too trusting, but… I really wanted to see the Hero TV project succeed. I still do. I still think there's a lot of merit in trying to change the public's opinion about NEXT. However, the way things have ended up… it's not right.

This video is a failsafe. Emily assumes we can confront Albert, find out where and how he went wrong, and put an end to this mess before any more lives are endangered." Barnaby Sr. pauses, frowning and glancing away in such a familiar way that it seems eerie to Kotetsu, who's seen this expression on his partner's face more than once. "But… I have my doubts. Even if we can convince him to see reason, to come clean, some of our work is already out there in the hands of criminals, and I fear that it's only a matter of time before it's further misused.

This scheme, this deception… it goes far deeper than I've even been able to uncover. This Ouroboros is a dangerous group indeed, and I don't know how far into it Albert really is. I don't know what kind of technology he's given to Ouroboros, but to pull off some of these elaborate crimes, it must be a great deal."

Barnaby tenses at the mention of Ouroboros, and Kotetsu leans a little closer to the screen, surprised to find out how much Barnaby's father had known before the tragic events.

"I'm leaving lists of our contacts and colleagues at all stages of the robotics project, including our foreign collaborators. I'm also encrypting a file with all of the information I've collected in regards to Ouroboros. If the safety mode had to be engaged, then something isn't right and someone out there must realize it. I can only hope that whoever finds this file feels as strongly as Emily and I do about using robotics for protecting the population, and not as weapons. To think that someone we've trusted for years would use our work in such a way…"

Barnaby Sr. stops mid-sentence as the door swings open behind him, and a clattering of footsteps interrupts the video. A high-pitched voice echoes just loudly enough to be picked up by the camera, and Barnaby Sr. leans down to lift a child onto his lap. "Father!"

Even if Kotetsu hadn't seen the newspaper clipping of the family in Barnaby's files, with the bright green eyes and the slightly curling blond hair, it's still immediately obvious who it is. Beside him, Barnaby flinches in surprise, but can't bear to look away from the accidentally caught exchange, his garbled memory flickering to life.

"Have you a message for me?"

A grin splits little Barnaby's face as he nods excitedly. "Mother says we're leaving shortly for the ballet, so you ought to hurry."

_I remember this night… the Nutcracker… and her red dress with the pearls…_

Barnaby is entranced by the video, lost in the memory as he watches Emily enter the room behind them, swishing over with an armful of coats. "Mother…" he murmurs along with his child self's call.

"Come now, didn't I tell you not to interrupt your father?" she smiles, lifting him off of his father's lap before leaning down to kiss her husband's cheek. Setting Barnaby on the floor, she helps him into his jacket, humming the tune to Tchaikovsky's _Waltz of the Sugar Plum Fairies_ and very much unaware that she's on camera.

"I just have something to finish up and I'll meet you both at the door," Barnaby Sr. smiles warmly up at his wife as he ruffles his son's hair in an affectionate way.

"Don't be long," Emily leaves her husband's coat across the back of his chair and takes her son's hand, amused when he mimics her as they reach the door.

"Don't be long, really - the car's already outside waiting for us!" Barnaby calls back excitedly before the door closes behind them.

Barnaby Sr. seems to have forgotten that the video is running, and it's a long moment before he seems to recall what he was doing before his family's interruption. "I'm going to put an end to this, one way or another," he finally tells the camera with steely determination in his eyes. "I'm going to confront Albert tomorrow while Samantha has Barnaby and tell him that I know the truth. If the public knew what was going on behind Hero TV… well, then what little tolerance there is for NEXT would evaporate immediately. I can't allow that to happen."

The video feed cuts off abruptly, leaving the screen black, and Kotetsu finds that he's staring ahead the same as his partner, teary-eyed if not quite as shell-shocked. His heart aches for his own family in that moment, Kaede and Tomoe, his mother and brother, and for a moment, he's grateful to know he'll be with his daughter again soon. _But Bunny…_

Being given this information, this glimpse into the past… seeing his parents again, seeing himself with them… it's too overwhelming for Barnaby to even process properly. Pulling his hand away from Kotetsu's, he stands abruptly, adjusting his glasses with a shaking hand.

"Bunny?" Kotetsu asks, rubbing away a stray tear and rising with him. "Are you okay?"

_Am I okay?_ Barnaby tries to search himself for the answer, but all he comes up with is a great big blank and a tight feeling in his chest. _I don't want to be here._ "I'm… fine…" he starts in a practiced monotone, turning to head for the door. "I want to go now."

"Go? Go where?" Kotetsu trails after his partner, pausing awkwardly to glance around the lab, but Saito is nowhere to be found. "Hey, Bunny, talk to me."

"Somewhere else…" Barnaby says sharply, walking quickly through the corridor, his heart feeling unnaturally leaden even as it's begun pounding. "Just not here, I can't… I need to get outside… go home…"

"Home?" Kotetsu follows his partner as he bypasses the elevator and heads, instead, for the little used stairwell in the skyscraper, more than a little worried. He hasn't seen this kind of behavior out of Barnaby in quite awhile, and it unnerves him a lot. "Wait, wait – I know we don't have to be anywhere just yet, but I thought today's schedule…"

"I don't _care_ about the schedule!"

There's an edge to Barnaby's voice now as he starts to take the stairs down two at a time, as if he's running from something, and for a moment, Kotetsu isn't certain if it's the video, their jobs, himself…

"I don't care about the car waiting for us, or the interviews, I don't care about Hero TV, I _don't care_…" He wants to add _about you_, but his voice cracks on the words, knowing they aren't true even if he _wants_ to care about _nothing_ right now.

"Slow down, Bunny!" Kotetsu continues to jog after his partner, trying not to trip over his feet at the swift downward speed, but when Barnaby begins to glow a familiar blue, he curses under his breath and activates his own powers as well.

It's a dizzying spiral down to the bottom, and when he reaches it, Barnaby kicks open the exit door with one red boot and stalks through it. The cold air hits him with a brutal gust of wind, but it barely even registers.

"Would you hold up for just a goddamn second?" Kotetsu grabs his partner's wrist in frustration as the metal door to the alleyway crashes into the brick of the building with a resounding and super-powered clang.

Barnaby stops in mid-step, but doesn't turn around or offer any explanation, leaving Kotetsu to guess at what to do next.

"If you want to go home, it's okay…" he starts, trying to tug Barnaby closer. Kotetsu's method of dealing with most things is to make light, to smooth over, but Barnaby is too far gone for that, and the longer Kotetsu talks, the more rigid he becomes. "And if it's too overwhelming, and if you don't want to talk about it yet, it's okay… I understand… but… please don't act like _nothing_ just happened up there."

"I want to go home," Barnaby says firmly, and with a sharp jerk, yanks his wrist out of Kotetsu's grasp. It's all too much, being back here again, all the things he's just been ignoring for the past week, the lies, the truth, the _expectations_…

Kotetsu can't help but reach out for him a second time, and when Barnaby sidesteps the embrace, he stumbles in surprise, sliding a little on the slippery ice of the alleyway.

Barnaby catches his partner by the elbow instinctively, righting him, but when Kotetsu tries a third time to pull him in, he shoves him away with both hands forcefully enough that Kotetsu stumbles again. "Please, stop, Kotetsu… I don't…"

Being pushed away after everything they've been through frustrates Kotetsu to no end, and he snaps a little, his own temper rising to the surface as he jumps to conclusions. "So, what? It's too hard? Knowing what you could do, should do, with that information?"

"Stop, please…" Barnaby's fists clench and unclench at his sides. "I don't… I can't…"

"I get it," Kotetsu throws his arms up helplessly, not sure if the tears in his eyes are the fault of his feelings or the bitterly cold wind whipping stray snowflakes through the alleyway. "You don't want to have to make the choice?"

Now the blank expression on Barnaby's face finally furrows up into confusion, and one hand moves to his hip instead. "What are you talking about, old man?"

"I once told you I'd stand by you until you saw things through, but this time… I'm telling you I won't stand in the way, if you need to go…" Kotetsu starts, reaching up to tug on his hat in old nervous habit. "I know how much your parents mean to you, avenging them, and well, they just handed you an even bigger piece of the puzzle, right? So, if you want to come back, I'd understand... I know we retired together, but you don't have to stay that way because of me. If you were back in Stern Bild, back at Apollon, you'd really have the chance to pursue-"

The empty blank inside Barnaby flares into sudden fury as he finally cuts Kotetsu off. "I can't believe you still think I made the decision to leave only because of you." _I can't believe you're still trying to send me back here without you._ Barnaby pauses for just a moment, but he's incensed now, and he can't hold back his own pride, his desire to finally live his life for himself. "Please, let me correct your vanity, old man – I decided to retire because _I _wanted to retire! Because I don't _know_ if I want to be a hero! I don't know _what_ I want to do!" It feels like the same circle over and over again… whether it's Maverick or Agnes or the entity of Hero TV, the reporters, the public, Saito, his dead parents, even his partner now… Everyone, absolutely _everyone_ around him has an idea about what he should be doing with his life now. "Didn't we just have this argument last night?"

"Bunny-"

"Can't I be allowed to figure it out for myself for once?" Barnaby rages a little, waving one hand for emphasis. "Can't I just say no to _everything_ until I've at least had time to…to…"

"I just want to help you, Bunny," Kotetsu tries to gentle his voice, but it feels stilted. The last time Barnaby was this angry was when everything went to hell, and he's terrified of making the wrong call again. If nothing else, he's trying to be honest this time around. "I'm really not trying to tell you what to do… I just want you to know you have someone to talk to about this, all of it…"

"But sometimes certain things… feelings… memories…" Barnaby starts to pace a little, just a step or two, back and forth in the narrow space, the growing anxiety warring with his anger. "They need to be sorted through _alone_. You can't always understand just how I feel!"

"Even if the specifics are different," Kotetsu protests, frozen in place after being pushed away so many times, his fingers twitching at his side. "It doesn't mean I can't relate." It's tearing him up to see Barnaby like this, but it seems like no matter what he says, his partner is determined to take it in the worst way possible. _When I can reach out and touch him, I can usually bring him back, remind him… but when he won't even let me do that much…_ "You already know… the hard things I've endured…"

The attempt at empathy backfires completely and Barnaby turns on Kotetsu, stomping up to him in a renewed fit of rage until Kotetsu takes two surprised steps back and collides with the brick wall. "And I did NOT disrespect and intrude on you that day in Oriental Town, when you were at the cemetery! Can't you respect my wishes in return?"

Kotetsu has argued with Barnaby many times before – they've yelled in each other's faces, thrown more than a few punches, and had more than one scuffle – but Kotetsu doesn't know if he's ever seen such raw pain and fury in his partner's eyes directed _at_ _him_. It wounds deeper than the words have so far and the truth slips right out before he can even consider whether it's a good time for it or not. "…it would have been okay with me if you had just shown up anyway."

That blatant contradiction, and all the time Barnaby spent worrying that he _should_ have gone to his partner that day, just adds fuel to his fire. "But I'm not you! Sometimes I just _want_ to be _alone_! Sometimes I just don't give a _damn_ about anyone else!"

The words are like a slap across the face and Kotetsu flinches, but it makes him angrier in return as well, because he knows it's a downright lie. _You wouldn't have worked so hard to get me to let you in. _"Well, you can't just tell me _not_ to give a damn either, Barnaby! It doesn't work like that! It never has… and it never will!"

Barnaby realizes as they stare each other down angrily, that in the back of his mind, he's counting the seconds until this is over, this impasse with his stubborn partner. And maybe he'll feel awful for the choice later, but in the moment, it feels nothing but _good._ It feels completely and utterly satisfying to watch the glow fade out from his partner's eyes until they are nothing but brown again, to see the hurt flicker sharply in them as he realizes what's about to happen. "Seeya."

Kotetsu feels the last of his power slip through his fingers, lurching forward with one outstretched hand as Barnaby disappears up and away, yet again, and he knows – he _knows _that his partner was waiting for just that exact moment to use his known disadvantage against him. He can't chase him, can't possibly catch Barnaby now, because his powers can't keep up, _he_ can't keep up, and to have that rubbed in his face as the parting insult hurts worse than anything that was said.

With a violent roar of frustration, Tiger turns to punch the metal of the door embedded into the brick with Bunny's power, leaving the imprint of his fist in it with nothing but his own impassioned strength.

_o/~_

_Don't run away  
>Don't run away<br>Just promise me you will stay  
>Promise me you will stay<em>

_~/o_

When Antonio arrives at Hero Bar a half hour early after work that evening, it surprises him to see his oldest friend already waiting for him in their favorite spot. "Glad you could make it, Kotetsu!" he claps an enthusiastic hand down on his friend's shoulder, the adds, glancing around. "Where's your partner?"

"F'I knew that, then… I'be out kickin' his ass," Kotetsu slurs a little, slouched over his drink, and doesn't bother to look up.

Antonio raises one bushy eyebrow and settles onto the barstool beside him, ordering a beer as he takes in his friend's appearance. It's not like Kotetsu to be this gone so early in the night, which brings Antonio to wonder how long he's actually been here, drinking alone. "…fight?"

"…bastard took off on me again…" Kotetsu mutters darkly, then waves over the bartender. "Give me another, make it a double." There's no point in even bringing up the video that started the fight, because it's Bunny's personal business, and really, Kotetsu is upset about far more than that small tidbit. "…it's a long story."

"My ears are open, same as ever," Antonio guzzles the first half of his beer, nudging Kotetsu sharply with one knee in an effort to get him to talk more. Quite familiar with his best friend's tendency to avoid, he has no qualms about dragging the truth from him on occasion.

Kotetsu stirs his drink around for a moment, hesitant, but then he tosses it back and uses the burn to force the words out. "I feel… so inadequate…" Just saying it out loud to someone he trusts, the weight lifts off his shoulders a fraction.

"Hmm…" Antonio hums thoughtfully at the honesty, glancing over at his friend with growing worry. "I think the last time I heard you say that… was the day you found out that Tomoe was pregnant with Kaede."

"Hehehe, true… I was worried that I wasn't ready for it…" Kotetsu chuckles a little at the memory, and then, with no warning, the laughter suddenly dissolves into a quiet choked sound of despair_. _

_Is this really even considered... crying?  
><em>  
>There's no sobbing involved, after all... just this painful heavy ache in his chest that threatens to be all-consuming, with hot fat tears seeming to roll endlessly down his cheeks, first one, then the other, the other, the other… As rapidly as he blinks them back, they just continue to silently come, like a damn that's finally been cracked a little too far.<p>

It's hard to breathe. It's tight and it burns.

Slumping down over the wood of the bar, he pulls his hat down before pillowing his face against one arm. He lets the tears come... lets every last one he's ignored and put off and stomped down rise to the surface. _How many times can you get turned away and not want to just give up?_ In his pocket, his cell phone vibrates, going unnoticed against the stupor of its owner. "…..I hate losing. I'm losing everything that matters."

The words would be indistinguishable for most people, but Antonio has known Kotetsu for too long, and so he understands them anyway, as well as the rest of the ramble that starts to pour forth from Kotetsu in broken and garbled half-sentences of drunken despair. It's the first he's really heard his old friend talk openly about the angry humiliation of losing his powers, about how much he misses being a hero, or how much his partnership with Barnaby has come to mean to him. It's the first time he's heard Kotetsu cry over someone, or speak with such intense feeling about anything, since Tomoe's death. Despite the dire situation, that fact alone actually lets Antonio know that there is hope, because there had been a point in the past where he didn't think a moment like this one had a chance of existing in Kotetsu's life.

"…and he just… r'fsed to talk 'bout any of it… though'm hardly better most days, I admit… and then… purposefully… maliciously…ditched me…" Kotetsu makes a swishing noise and a large hand gesture upwards that throws off his precarious balance and Antonio grabs his arm to keep him from falling off the barstool.

Antonio doesn't ever try to tell his friends what to do, but when the bartender walks by this time, he inclines his head just a little to pass along his firm thoughts on the matter. Laying a heavy hand on Kotetsu's shoulder, he squeezes lightly. "I think things will be okay. You and Barnaby will work through this, as you have before."

"Eh?" Kotetsu peers up at his old friend, but his vision is swimming by now, the world is spinning a little after crying for so long, a train of thought is hard to hang onto, a vibrating phone goes unnoticed... "My life's'anything but okay, 'tonio… my powers… and Bunny won't even _talk_ to me."

"But think back to your past - when you were in your worst moments of grief, Kotetsu, did you want to listen to what anyone else had to say about it?"

There's a moment of silence where Kotetsu actually allows the old memories he usually keeps in a steel box to wash over him, and then he shakes his head slowly. "No… I wanted everyone to… fuck off and leave me alone." Closing his eyes, the last moments of his fight with Barnaby flash before his eyes and his lower lip trembles. _I don't want to lose Bunny, but what can I really do? I can't force him to confide in me and I can't tell him how to live his life..._ But despite how hurt Kotetsu still feels, the anger has already faded, and he misses his partner. He wonders if Barnaby misses him at all. "I… should go home."

Antonio lets Kotetsu stand up, but as his friend tries to take a step away from the bar, he pitches forward, his eyes rolling back in his head. The larger man's arm shoots out to catch him mid-fall, and with a heavy sigh, he rolls Kotetsu onto his back in a very familiar and long-practiced way. Slapping some cash down on the bar, he ambles towards the exit with a second heavy sigh. This isn't the first, and probably won't be the last time that he carries his oldest friend home from a bar, but he's just now realizing just how much he's going to miss Kotetsu once he goes back to Oriental Town for good.

The Hero TV team hasn't been the same without Tiger & Bunny.

In Kotetsu's pocket, his phone begins to vibrate again…

…_3 missed calls (Bunny)…_

…_4 missed calls (Bunny)…_

…_5 missed calls (Bunny)…_

…_6 missed calls (Bunny)…_

…_7 missed calls (Bunny)…_

_o/~  
><em>_Everybody's got a dark side  
><em>_Do you love me?  
><em>_Can you love mine?  
><em>_Nobody's picture perfect  
><em>_But we're worth it  
><em>_You know that we're worth it  
><em>_~/o_


End file.
